Understanding our trees
The Council must know enough about its trees to manage them well. This includes knowing what trees we have, where they are, and their type and condition.
Trees and the needs or priorities around them can change over time. Therefore, information will be updated when required so that it remains reliable.
5.1 Tree inventory
The Council will maintain an inventory of all trees under its management.
The inventory will contain information about each tree, as required for its management. This will include the location, species, size, characteristics and management history.
Trees may be recorded as individuals, or as part of groups or woodland where this is appropriate.
Every entry within the inventory will include a risk assessment and a date by which it should be updated.
The Council will take such steps as are necessary to ensure that the inventory remains reliable as the basis for tree management.
5.2 Mapping and land ownership
Responsibility for trees starts with their owner, which is the owner of the land they are growing on.
The Council will maintain records of land for which it is responsible, including digital mapping suitable for use in tree management.
Mapping will identify land the Council owns, as well as land it manages under any other agreement. It will also identify any land owned by the Council where responsibility for tree management has been transferred to a third party.
This information will be updated regularly so that tree management covers all of the Council’s land and does not include land that has been transferred to others.
5.3 Sources of information
Information about trees may come from various sources. The Council will ensure that it maintains adequate familiarity with its trees, principally through tree inspections. Other types of information may add to this.
The inventory will contain the most up-to-date information, representing what the Council knows about its trees. When additional information from other sources is received, it will be reviewed. Where appropriate, the inventory will be updated to reflect information from other sources that has been confirmed as accurate:
- Tree inspections by qualified arboriculturists will be the main source of information about trees and their context
- Insurance claims relating to trees may include detailed assessments and data or analysis of relevance to ongoing tree management
- Public records and datasets may be used to corroborate or inform our understanding of the treescape
- Studies may be commissioned to investigate topics of interest, such as around vulnerability to tree diseases trees or planting opportunities
- Enquiries and reports may include useful information about trees, their context, and the people around them
- Consultation with stakeholders, including the public, may add valuable context to tree management
- The Council will record and investigate any injury or damage caused by a tree, and near misses. This information will be used to update tree management practices where appropriate.
5.4 Reports, enquiries and requests
This Policy sets out the circumstances in which tree works will be done. The Council will proactively identify these circumstances, so that its tree management is robust and defensible, even without information from third parties.
The Council cannot monitor all trees all the time, and circumstances evolve.
Therefore, the Council may become aware of issues or opportunities through a report, enquiry or request, including from the public. This can be an important and valuable additional source of information.
It is important to note that the act of making a report, enquiry or request does not influence whether any action is justified. It invites the Council to look at a particular issue to determine whether the circumstances that justify tree works exist.
The Arboriculture team is responsible for tree management, and for evaluating whether tree works are justified, in accordance with this policy.
Reports, enquiries and requests may come from a range of sources, including the public, as well as other parts of the Council. All information that comes into the Arboriculture team is handled in the same way, irrespective of who reported it.
Arboricultural specialists will verify information that is received, to establish a reliable basis for any subsequent decisions. Where appropriate, the tree inventory will be updated to include the new information.
The Council will never act solely based on external information and it will never plant, remove or prune a tree based only on a report or request. It will act where a competent assessment has established that the facts justify it, in accordance with policy. This is an important distinction because the Council is responsible for its decisions and actions.
Where there is a reason to act, the Arboriculture team will determine what that action will be and when it will be done. The Council must consider a range of factors when it plans tree works, including various legal duties, seasonal constraints on some activities, the availability of personnel and equipment, and other objectives. These may not be apparent or available to the person making the initial report, enquiry or request.
5.5 Decision making checklist
Where a report, enquiry or request is received, the Council will consider whether:
- It is about trees the Council owns
- It contains new information the Council did not already have
- It relates to one or more reason for tree works (see Section 6.0)
- The information is supported by evidence
- Action is justified
- The issue can be resolved via tree works
Where these are all satisfied the Council will determine what works it will do.
The Council may also consider whether alternative solutions are available to achieve the desired outcome.
5.6 Pests and diseases
The Council will monitor the presence and significance of pests and diseases of relevance to tree management in the Borough. This includes those that are known to be present already, as well as those that might arrive in the future.
The Arboriculture team will maintain familiarity with the symptoms, management options and significance of all significant pests and diseases, and with the current distribution, guidance and any legal requirements.
Wherever normal tree management may not be sufficient to contain or manage a potential threat, additional measures will be put in place. The Council will maintain contingency plans that define the conditions in which additional measures would be put in place, and what they would be. It is expected that this would be a rare occurrence, for example, in relation to a disease that kills trees very quickly.
Where outbreaks occur, we will follow the advice of the relevant authorities and agencies, including the Forestry Commission, Forest Research and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. We will also share information with adjacent authorities.
5.7 Extreme weather
The Council’s approach to tree management, including risk assessment, anticipates a range of weather conditions. Most trees survive storms, and by finding and dealing with those that are at risk during normal time, the chance of tree failures during storms is reduced.
Tree management must respond to foreseeable conditions, which includes weather. However, extreme conditions can cause healthy trees to fail. There is always a small possibility of unseasonable or atypical weather well beyond the normal range. By their nature, it is not possible to plan tree management in anticipation of these anomalies.
The Council will manage the additional risks associated with extreme weather and any other unexpected and harmful conditions through its routine risk assessments and by taking remedial action where significant defects are found. In addition, it will respond appropriately when extreme weather occurs.
Extreme weather can create new hazards, such as damaged trees. It can also reduce the confidence the Council has in data about its trees, if they may have been affected by the event. The first response to extreme weather will therefore normally be rapid surveys of sensitive or high priority locations and/or routes to identify damage, and places where detailed tree inspections may be required.