Concerns have been raised about the clearance of an established woodland at Flintham as part of the A46 dualling.
Motorists will notice daily the changes along the route, which is being dualled between Newark and Widmerpool and should be complete by summer 2012.
The majority of trees near Coney Grey Spinney, Flintham, are being felled causing concern for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.
A spokesman for the trust, Mr Erin McDaid, said: "Since 2006 we have consistently raised our concerns over the loss of habitat, including grassland and woodland at Flintham, due to the widening of the A46."
Mr McDaid said the environmental statement for the scheme prepared in 2006 failed to recognise the irreplaceability of many habitats.
He said the trust felt the entire mitigation strategy was based on a flawed contention that habitats that had developed over hundreds of years could be replaced by similar planting.
The Wildlife Trust, which spent months working on detailed responses to the dualling proposals and gave evidence at the public inquiry, maintained its objection, highlighting, among other concerns, its view that the loss of mature woodland was wholly unacceptable.
Mr McDaid said: "We do not consider that the potential impacts of the scheme were fully considered by the Highways Agency and we believe that the overall level of mitigation and ecological compensation proposed for the dualling programme was inadequate."
A spokesman for the Highways Agency said: "The A46 dualling scheme between Newark and Widmerpool will reduce congestion and improve safety for the thousands of people that travel on this route every day.
"Mitigating the impact of our work on the environment is and continues to be central to the delivery of the project."
She said that since January, extensive ecological surveys, covering protected species and breeding birds, were undertaken within 500 metres of the work being carried out.
"Ecologists checked for nesting birds and active nests, including ground-nesting species, before any vegetation was cleared or archaeological work carried out," she said.
If breeding birds were identified, or suspected to be present, measures were put in place to protect them.
"Where necessary, work was halted and restarted only once the nest was vacated or after the breeding season."
She said during the preparation of an environmental statement for the A46 scheme, there was consultation with Natural England, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and Nottinghamshire County Council’s ecologists. She said the liaison continued.
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