COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

HEADED ITEM NO. 13

Progress Report on 2015 Tree Maintenance Programme

In November 2014, the Tree Maintenance Programme for the last 2 months of 2014 and for 2015 was presented to the Clondalkin Area Committee.

This programme comprises:

As on 31st March 2015, the following is an update on the percentage of the 2015 Tree Maintenance Programme completed in the Clondalkin Area:

The delivery of the programme for 2015 remains ongoing and will continue until the year end.

In recognition of the increasing requirements for tree maintenance and in an attempt to address the accumulation of tree maintenance commitments from previous years, South Dublin County Council has for the first time, put in place a team largely dedicated to tree management. This team is charged with co-ordinating the tree maintenance programme and establishing new measures to relieve the backlog of commitments and to enable progress towards an improved tree maintenance service and a more strategic approach to tree management.

The Council has endeavoured to include and prioritise outstanding commitments from previous years in the 2015 programme but we are continuing to receive details of other previous commitments which have not been factored into the current programme. Our priority for 2015 is to deliver on the current approved programme and to begin to move towards a planned programme of cyclical tree maintenance based on a road by road and estate by estate approach, the delivery of the 2015 programme will necessitate the application of adequate staff resources to tree maintenance over the coming months to achieve this. Where details of outstanding commitments continue to emerge over the course of the current year, these may be accommodated at the year end, subject to resource capacity and completion of the approved programme for 2015 or they will be given priority under the 2016 tree maintenance programme. In advancing a cyclical programme of tree maintenance within whole estates, we will focus in 2015 on estates where there are significant clusters of outstanding commitments and where tree inspections and surveys have identified the need to plan for a complete programme of tree works within an estate. In tandem with dealing with individual and isolated tree maintenance requests, this approach will further impact in reducing the backlog of commitments and be proactive in eliminating potential new or impending requests for tree maintenance.

In addition to attempting to deal with the backlog of tree maintenance commitments through the 2015 Tree Maintenance Programme, an accumulation of issues contributing to the backlog has been identified with remedial actions being implemented as follows:

Issue Remedial Action Status
The delivery of the annual tree maintenance programme has operated over a 4-month period between November and February using the same staff involved in grass maintenance during the summer months. In 2014, a dedicated tree crew with specialised climbing and tree surgery skills was established which will continue to work on completing the Tree Maintenance programme all year round. One all-year-round tree crew in operation. Establishment of additional all year round tree crew under review.    
Ageing and mature tree populations in established neighbourhoods of Rathfarnham, Terenure, Templeogue, Clondalkin, Palmerstown and Lucan, with increased tree maintenance requirement Phased introduction of a planned proactive cyclical programme of tree maintenance on an estate by estate basis.   Commencing in 2016.
Skills deficit due to staff transfer, retirements and lack of specialised training Workforce Planning and Training Needs analysis exercise Under review by management.
Specialised work required on trees under overhead power lines. The Council has established new lines of contact within ESB Networks to enable completion of outstanding tree works Ongoing
Pressures to accommodate additional requests for tree maintenance works within the approved annual programmes without application of additional resources..     The Council aims to clear the 2015 Tree Maintenance Programme. Progress with the programme and application of resources is under regular review, Additional works are accommodated only in the case of emergencies. Requests for tree works received during late 2014 and 2015 will be dealt with as part of future tree maintenance programmes . Ongoing
The development of the annual Tree Maintenance Programme has evolved in response to requests for maintenance of individual trees. The basis for the programme is reactive and sporadic in its impact.   This does not represent an efficient or strategically prioritised use of the Council’s resources.   Phased introduction of a planned proactive cyclical programme of tree maintenance on an estate by estate basis.   Commencing in 2016.
No centralised recording system for enquiries, inspections, commitments or maintenance history of trees. Procurement, installation and use of an electronic tree management software system. Tender documentation is currently being finalised for issue by end of April 2015.
No inventory of street trees within the administrative area has been undertaken and accurate, detailed information on the street tree population is limited. Undertake a countywide baseline survey of the County’s street trees. Survey commenced April 2015.
Lack of clarity, consistency and publicly accessible information on how the Council makes decisions and prioritises tree management. Public expectation of a tree maintenance service beyond that which is necessary or achievable. Development of tree management policy for South Dublin County to provide clear guidelines on the Council’s approach to tree management Draft Tree Policy “Living with Trees” prepared and presented to Environment SPC in February 2015 and open for public consultation to April 10.
Notable increase in public awareness of trees arising from more severe storms and consequent damage to trees in recent years Development of a public information and trees education programme via the Council’s website and community awareness activities. ‘Trees’ web page for inclusion on the Council’s website. Programme of tree-related events organised during recent National Tree Week in March.

Collectively these above initiatives and actions, in time, will lead to the more effective and efficient proactive management of the South Dublin’s tree resource.

An update in relation to the completion of the 2015 Tree Maintenance Programme in the Rathfarnham/Templeogue-Terenure Area is set out below. This updated listing includes additional works were carried out during the current programme period mainly as a result of storm damage during December and January. The Works Programme is categorised as follows:

  1. Individual Trees for Pruning or Removal
  2. Stump Removals
  3. Hedge Maintenance
  4. Open Space Shrubberies Maintenance