Can i cut willow trees

CarPark2

I see this
https://birdwatchireland.ie/hedge-cutting-and-scrub-burning-prohibited-from-1st-march/?fbclid=IwAR2uM1T1CpMCiL2Tv_foWCsCpMj2baK7OPdpeQfTdYZrHja6HZiMmuL5JGY
- basically, Hedge-cutting and scrub-burning prohibited from 1st March

I have willow trees at the front of my garden, bordering the road. They are very high and i have been meaning to get them cut down to the height of the fence. They block out a lot of light in the summer, but mainly i am concerned at their height and the consequences if they get blown down. Am i now too late to do that? The rule seems to focus on hedge cutting, so maybe willow trees don't fall under that. Any advice?
The winter has been so wet, that there didn't seem to be a sensible day to cut them. I thought i would wait until March when the weather improved.

_Brian

While you should always take the hedge cutting ban as essential.

Cultivated hedges are not covered by the ban, it refers to garden hedges and trees.

If you must do it now then you should be ok other than nasty looks from people who think you should have found a day during the open season, which you should have.

The law doesn't apply to anything in a private garden. Hedges in gardens are trimmed all year round.

Willows this time of year are practically bare. Should be easy to examine for nests. Any pictures?

CarPark2

Thanks. Yes, they are bare. No signs of any nests. We have a lot of hedgerow in a separate part of the garden, which I will not touch.

Hocus Focus

Applies more to the farming community than the private householder, I think, although natural hedgerows bordering large rural gardens might be affected.

Jim_Hodge

As long as it's a garden boundary you can cut any time you like.