COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, April 13, 2015
QUESTION NO.18
QUESTION: Councillor E. O'Brien
To ask the Chief Executive for the number of trees completely removed from the County in the last 12 months and of that number how many were replaced?
REPLY:
The Council will wherever possible try to avoid removing a healthy tree where there is no good arboricultural reason and trees are removed only when necessary as a last resort. As outlined in the Council’s Draft Tree Policy “Living with Trees” the criteria for tree removal are:
- the tree is dead, dying or is considered hazardous. Hazardous conditions may exist above and/or below ground and may include significant root, trunk or crown decay, split trunks and crotches, and large dead limbs.
- The tree has declined beyond the point of recovery and is no longer meeting the functional or aesthetic requirements of a street tree. Typically, a tree with 30 percent or less of its foliage remaining would meet this criterion.
- Fatally diseased trees, eg. trees exhibiting signs of Fireblight Disease, may be removed before they reach the primary threshold in order to prevent the spread of disease to healthy trees.
- To allow space for development of nearby trees that may be more desirable for retention
- To allow space for new planting
- To make way for any approved engineering or building works when unavoidable construction work will immediately compromise the stability or viability of the tree.
- Tree proven to be causing significant structural damage that cannot be reasonably addressed by an alternative solution and proactive tree management has had no mitigating effect.
- The trunk of the tree is within 2m of a public lighting column and the long term viability of the tree if retained in its location would be compromised by a requirement for ongoing maintenance in order to maintain the effectiveness of the adjoining street light.
The total number of street trees removed under the Council’s Tree Maintenance Programme over the past 12 month period is 297 trees to date. Of these, 105 trees were categorised as dead trees with no viable future.
The financial constraints of recent years have resulted in very limited implementation of new or replacement planting where trees have been removed across the county over the last 5 years. In addition, the focus of tree management has been on maintenance, specifically tree pruning and removals, in order to address the increasing requirement for tree maintenance across the county. Currently the Council plans its annual tree planting in accordance with available budget resources. Over the last 12 months, a total of 60 new /replacement street trees have been planted.
However, the Council’s Draft Tree Policy “Living with Trees” outlines the Council’s commitment, subject to available budget resources, that every tree felled should be replaced to ensure that over the years, the County retains its tree stock for future generations, although it is not always practical or prudent to replace a tree in the same location or with the same species that was previously planted. For example, where a tree is removed from a roadside verge, due to proximity to a public lighting column, a replacement tree will not be planted back into the same verge. Other factors influencing the suitability of a site for replanting of a tree include location of underground and overground services, sight lines, proximity to warning signs and traffic signals and space available for future growth of the tree’s roots and crown. In addition, many of our streetscapes have been planted with trees over succeeding generations but without the benefit of a clear design. Sometimes this works well, but in some locations the trees actually detract from the overall enjoyment of the street environment because there are too many trees, they are the wrong species or in the wrong place. Given this, we do not believe that it always appropriate to simply replace a tree in the same place. Where there is a substantial requirement for new or replacement tree planting within a streetscape, our preferred approach is to prepare a tree-planting plan for the site reflecting its character, scale, use and local interests.
If a site where a tree was removed is suitable to support a new tree, the site may be replanted with a suitable tree species. However, following removal of the stump, sufficient time needs to elapse to allow breakdown of residual underground root material, the process from removal to replanting may take up to 3-5 years. Replacement tree planting will only take place during the dormant season. Areas to be targeted for new tree planting will be those where trees have been removed or where there is an identified need to increase the overall tree cover.