COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
HEADED ITEM NO. H-1(18)
REPORT:
Clondalkin Area Committee - Arboricultural Programme 2010-2011
The Arboricultural Programme for 2010/2011 will be ongoing until mid-March 2011.
Due to the extent of the established and maturing tree population in the general area of Clondalkin(North and South), and Rathcoole/ Saggart, the Parks Department is giving priority under the forthcoming Arboricultural Programme specifically to the maintenance and pruning of existing trees and to the thinning and/or removal of shrubberies on open spaces which are locations of anti-social activities and cause of anxiety and nuisance for the general public. While a limited amount of Arboricultural work has been carried out since the start of the season in November 2010, this has been very much curtailed due to :
- The deployment of staff to clean up and remove bonfire material from public parks and open spaces after Halloween 2010
- The severe weather conditions prevailing from the end of November through to Christmas and the consequent deployment of Parks and Landscape Services staff to the clearing of snow from public areas around the county
- The Christmas Tree Recycling Programme, operated from 6th January to 15th January 2011, which required a substantial staff input in terms of collection, shredding and disposal of Christmas trees at twenty five official locations around the county as well as from a number of unofficial and discontinued locations.
Street Tree Pruning and Removals:
Due to the volume of requests that continue to be received it has been decided to concentrate primarily on the pruning of street trees on an estate by estate basis. The reasons for this approach are:
- In identified estates with particularly large problems it is better to deal with all of the trees rather than respond to requests from individual householders. Responding to individual requests inevitably leads to more requests from other residents when the tree maintenance crew arrives on site.
- Due to new Health and Safety standards it is more economic to set up a Health and Safety system (signage, cones, traffic control, etc.) on an estate basis than on an individual tree basis.
Trees are pruned under the street tree pruning programme on a 'need to prune' system based on the following criteria:
· Pruning of lower branches from trees which have the potential to come into contact with pedestrians.
· Pruning of damaged, diseased or dead branches in keeping with good arboricultural practice.
· Pruning of trees in proximity to street lighting, specifically trees that have been brought to our attention by the public and the Public Lighting Section.
· Planned removal of street trees in association with the footpath maintenance programme where damage to pavements is arising. This is a significant problem in some areas and can be a contentious issue where some residents are opposed to the removal of trees.
· Removal of dead or diseased trees.
Trees which have to be felled will in the first instance have their branches removed and the main trunk reduced to approximately one metre above ground level. The remaining section of trunk is left in situ thus reducing the risk of a trip hazard until such time as the removal is completed. The removal of the stump and the remaining trunk involves the use of specialised stump grinding equipment and in most cases, the re-instatement of the grass verge. In order to maintain progress with the pruning programme which is done during the dormant season, the portion of the trunk will remain in place until a follow up programme of stump removals commences in early spring 2011.
Street Tree Planting:
As the focus of the programme is primarily on tree pruning and removals, new planting is only being considered in a very limited number of circumstances, based on requests received up to the autumn of 2010. Where removals are involved, replacement tree planting will only be considered in very limited circumstances in the following planting season and will be subject to the availability of resources.
| TREE PRUNING LIST | |
| ESTATE PRUNING | TREE LOCATION |
| Cherrywood Avenue | All trees |
| Cherrywood Grove | All trees |
| Cherrywood Park | All trees |
| Rathcoole Park, Rathcoole | All trees |
| Riversdale Park | All trees |
| Riversdale Road | All trees |
| Woodford View | All trees |
| Yellow Meadows | All trees |
| INDIVIDUAL TREE REQUESTS | TREE LOCATION |
| Alpine Heights | No.s 1, 41, 47-60 |
| Ashwood Avenue | No.s 10/12 |
| Ashwood Road | No. 38 |
| Ashwood Way | Estate Road |
| Bawnogue Road | Main Road |
| Beechwood Lawns, Rathcoole | No.s 40 & 78 |
| Castle Estate | 9 Castle Drive |
| 32 Castleview Road | |
| Dunawley Way | No. 12 |
| Dunawley Drive | No. 10 |
| Forest Hills, Rathcoole | No.s 1, 12, 147, 156, 168 |
| Greenfort Avenue | No. 15 (5 trees) |
| Greenpark | 16 St. John’s Wood |
| 23 Oak Downs | |
| 14 & 17 Oak Way | |
| 18 Willow Avenue | |
| James Connolly Park | No. 30 |
| Lindisfarne Walk | No. 2 |
| Lindisfarne Avenue | No. 5 |
| Melrose Lawn | No. 13 |
| Monastery | 52 Monastery Rise |
| Monksfield | 46 Monksfield Grove |
| 1 Monksfield Walk | |
| Neilstown Community Centre | 2 trees |
| Riversdale | 4 Riversdale Road |
| St Patrick’s Park | No. 58 |
| Wheatfield Crescent | No. 20 |
| Woodford | 2 Woodford Road (side of house) |
| TREE REMOVALS LIST | |
| ESTATE | TREE LOCATION |
| Abbeywood | 1 tree on main road |
| Alpine Heights | No.s 20 & 208 |
| Coolamber, Rathcoole | 67 Coolamber Drive |
| Deansrath Road | No. 30 |
| Floraville Avenue | Cherry trees as appropriate |
| Floraville Drive | Cherry trees as appropriate |
| Floraville Lawn | Cherry trees as appropriate |
| Glenfield Avenue | 2, opposite 19, 29 & open space |
| James Connolly | No.s 48, 51, 68 & 70 |
| Lealand Road | No. 17 |
| Michael Collins Park | No. 23 |
| Monastery | 20 Monastery Rise |
| Oakwood Grove | No. 95 |
| Oatfield Avenue | No. 21 |
| Palmerstown Woods | No.s 142 & 143 |
| Rathcoole Park, Rathcoole | Dead Poplars on open space. |
| Rowlagh Avenue | No. 19 |
| St Patrick’s Park | No. 64 |
| St Ronans Park | No.s 65 & 71 |
| Woodford | 14 Woodford Court |