This page gives you information on trees that we are responsible for (trees on council land).
For trees not on council land please see the relevant section below.
View information on trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order, trees in conservation areas or high hedges.
Trees on council land
We have a tree policy which outlines our approach to the management and maintenance of trees on council land.
View our tree policy for more information.
Report a tree issue
You can report issues with trees we are responsible for to us such as:
- dangerous trees
- non-urgent request
- dead trees
- over hanging branches
- trees blocking light
In addition to the programme of inspections we will respond to tree related service requests reported as dangerous within 24 hours during working hours. Our out of hours emergency number can be found on line . If you are reporting non urgent cases, then you should expect to be contacted within 12 working days.
Non urgent requests will be assessed against cost, resources, benefit and/ or detrimental impact to the tree as well as the council's responsibilities set out in the tree policy.
Tree Inspections
We will categorise all of our trees into 1 of 3 zones depending on the risk. The zoning of the tree will dictate the inspection frequency as set out below.
|
Usage category |
Location |
Inspection interval |
|---|---|---|
|
High usage |
Busy roads, car parks and play areas |
Every 15 months to ensure inspections are carried out at different times of the year. |
|
Medium usage |
Roads, footpaths, woodlands and quieter areas of parks and open spaces. |
Every 36 months (some trees will be informally checked more frequently by council staff who work close to or around trees on a day to day basis. They will report any concerns to the tree officer. |
|
Low usage |
Infrequently used areas |
Every 60 months, however trees within areas such as woodlands where no access or usage is present will not be formally inspected. |
All trees are potentially hazardous; however, the inspection programme can reasonably only address the conditions most likely to lead to injury or damage to people or property. These are the physical or physiological conditions that may lead to a breakup or collapse of a tree. It should, however, be noted that trees generally present a low risk.
Inspections are carried out by council officers who have undertaken suitable training and have the experience necessary to identify potential defects and suggest appropriate remedial action.
Different types of inspections may be carried out:
- Informal - visual checks by a competent person
- formal - detailled assessment of tree health and hazards
- detailed/invasive - specialist techniques used for complex cases/external contractors with specialist inspection equipmnet may be utilised.
Trees not on council land
We are not responsible for trees that are not on council land.
Trees on highways, footpaths, schools, and Housing Association land are managed by other entities. However you can report vegetation and tree issues to Lancashire County Council (LCC). If you have any concerns or issues with trees next to the road or pavement then please report a tree issue to LCC .
We do have powers to carry out work to trees on private land under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976. This act gives local authorities discretionary powers to deal with trees in private ownership.These powers are only used in extreme circumstances where the tree poses an imminent danger to property or life. If you do notice a dangerous tree, then please report this to us.