What is the law regarding cutting down full adult oak trees?
There are two different things to remember, here in the UK, in relation to this issue. The first is that the landowner (whoever it is) owns the trees as well as the land on which they stood. (S)he is entitled to take civil action in relation to the trespass that you mention. The second is the the trees MAY have been the subject of a Tree Preservation Order. Not all trees (broadleaf or otherwise) have this protection. Your local Planning Dept will be able to advise as to whether the trees are protected or not and their Enforcement Officer will follow up with any required action. If the trees are indeed protected, a prosecution could follow which, depending on the view of the court, could result in the offender having to replace the trees and also having a penalty of up to £50,000 per tree or some jail time (although I have never come across those penalties being used to anything like the extent that they should). If you don’t want to follow up on this yourself, you could always contact
