Tree Policy

Tree Related Enquiry

Policy/ Standard

Response Timescale

Works to Council owned trees

The council intends to manage its trees, so they make a positive contribution to their locality and are reasonably safe and do not cause excessive nuisance.

Advice:

The council operates an in -house team who are responsible for the majority of council owned tree work throughout the borough. The team are professionally competent in all aspects of tree surgery and undertake tree work operations in accordance with British Standard 3998:2010 intended for use by arboricultralists, tree surgeons and others involved with the maintenance of trees.

On occasion the council will seek to employ contractors. These works may include stumpgrinding, work to trees over the highway which require traffic management, out of hours emergency works, large scale works requiring specialist equipment, works exceeding a specific time frame in order not to impact on the current work schedule and tree works associated with the Councils Corporate Plan.

Customer Enquiries

The majority of non-emergency tree related enquires are received via The Gateway both via phone and e-mail, these are assessed against resources required, benefit and impact upon the tree. Once an appropriate officer is made aware, work determined to be classed as emergency works will receive a site inspection within two hours during office hours.

Any emergency works reported out of hours will be subject to the out of hours officer’s response. Where strong winds have been forecast the council will subject to an assessment, place tree surgeons on-call until normal working hours resume. The council will aim to complete the first stage contact of a tree enquiry within twelve working days of its creation, once an enquiry has been investigated feedback will be provided to the customer, any works will then be added to the works schedule according to classification, with any non- urgent tree works to commence within eighteen months.

The council operates a grading system for tree works scheduled from stakeholder enquiries.

Category A – Works requiring immediate attention, usually trees which have partially failed are hung up or pose an imminent risk of injury to persons or property.

Category B – Works passed to the tree team which are either in progress or beginning very soon.

Category E – Works will be passed to the tree team as soon as the current workload (Cat B) is clear.

Category G – Works which require completion but after the initial inspection do not require a short term response.

The enquiry will be answered within 12 working days of receipt and feedback provided to the customer. If the enquiry requires further research, we will indicate a timescale in the which the customer can expect to receive a full response.

Maintenance works to council owned trees may be undertaken as the result of the following.

Advice:

As the result of an inspection the council may ‘dead wood’ the crown of a tree if the works are deemed appropriate from a safety perspective given the estimated footfall / traffic under the tree. Deadwood is a valuable ecological resource and its removal should only be done when appropriate.

As the result of an inspection the council may ‘crown raise’ trees, these works include the removal of lower branches to allow for pedestrians and vehicles to pass underneath the tree without coming into contact with tree branches on a recognised footpath / highway / entrance.

As the result of an inspection the council may ‘thin’ the crown of a tree, this action allows natural light to reach other trees and vegetation within the area.

This does not include the thinning of a crown to allow light to a property or other built structure. As the result of an inspection the council may undertake the removal of branches and limbs which will benefit the wellbeing of the tree, e.g. the removal of a diseased / decayed / damaged limb, pruning the tree away from an obstacle or other trees within its immediate vicinity.

To abate an actionable nuisance dependent upon individual circumstances.

Pruning works will form part of a scheduled operation / management plan for an area.

As the result of an inspection the council may ‘thin’ the crown of a tree, this action allows natural light to reach other trees and vegetation within the area. This does not include the thinning of a crown to allow light to a property or other built structure.

As the result of an inspection the council may undertake the removal of branches and limbs which will benefit the wellbeing of the tree, e.g. the removal of a diseased / decayed / damaged limb, pruning the tree away from an obstacle or other trees within its immediate vicinity. 

To abate an actionable nuisance dependent upon individual circumstances.

Pruning works will form part of a scheduled operation / management plan for an area.

The enquiry will be answered within 12 working days of receipt and feedback provided to the customer. If the enquiry requires further research, we will indicate a timescale in the which the customer can expect to receive a full response.