COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 26, 2016

MOTION NO.20

MOTION: Councillor P. Foley

That recognising the vulnerability of elderly and disabled residents of South Dublin County, this council agrees to allow for a variation and deviation from the approach to tree management from that which has been agreed in the “Living with Trees” programme by this council.
Accordingly the council would ask management and officials to use their discretion in managing the trimming, removal and general maintenance of trees or in the use of sweeping and street cleaning to clear footpaths, roads or drains; in order to ensure that living conditions are safe, tolerable and practical for our elderly and disabled residents.

REPORT:

From a policy perspective, wherever possible, the Council’s approach to tree management seeks in the first instance to promote a better understanding of the value of trees to the urban community. Street trees can transform the character of a street and provide numerous environmental, aesthetic, cultural, social and economic benefits for residents of all ages within South Dublin County.

Trees and vegetation capture carbon dioxide and mitigate global warming. They buffer noise, offer shade, reduce water runoff, control erosion, and absorb airborne particulates and pollutants thereby cleaning the air and reducing asthma and other respiratory conditions.  People of all ages, income levels and abilities enjoy higher levels of physical, cognitive and emotional health when they have trees nearby. A rapidly growing body of scientific evidence links access to tree-lined streets and spending time around trees to lower levels of mortality and illness, higher levels of outdoor physical activity, restoration from stress, reduced risk of depression and anxiety disorders, accelerated recovery from surgery or illness and a greater sense of general well-being. Trees provide seasonal interest and natural beauty through foliage, leaf patterns, flowers, bark fruit and canopy. These features have proved to play a significant role in improving sensory stimulation, orientation and circadian rhythms. The benefits of trees growing in an urban environment are extensive.

The Council recognises that trees under its ownership/management are sometimes implicated in issues that are not always attributable to the tree. Many such issues can frequently be resolved by alternative remedial measures that do not require unnecessary removal or pruning of a tree. It is also recognised that residents’ views on trees can vary greatly and a tree that is of great value and beauty to one person can be perceived as an unsightly nuisance to another. The Council’s role is to try to achieve a compromise, which is acceptable to the community at large but not necessarily to every individual within the community and to safeguard the tree population for the future, within available resources. Whether trees are managed for their amenity, social, economic or environmental benefits, their management must be balanced and proportionate to the actual risks from trees. For example, it is both normal and natural for trees to lose leaves and the risk to human safety is usually very low. To address this issue, the Council organises a street cleaning service which will sweep leaves from most streets and residential roads during the autumn period. The Council also has a Social Credit Scheme which can be accessed if a neighbourhood group would like to seek support and assist elderly neighbours sweep leaves etc. This type of action would create a better, more engaged community, ensure elderly residents have social contact with their neighbours and get people involved in the maintenance and care of their area which always has benefits for the community.

Where issues arise relating to trees in private gardens of elderly residents, the Council is responsible only for the management of trees in streets and public areas and cannot intervene with trees in private gardens. It is usually possible for the resident to seek the assistance of family members or neighbours or engage a suitably qualified private contractor.

In regard to how the Council manages its programme of tree maintenance, the Council’s Tree Management Policy 2015-2020 “Living With Trees” has agreed an approach whereby from 2016 the focus of the Council’s annual tree maintenance programme is on entire roads or whole estates. This represents a move away from reactive pruning or removal of trees on a one off isolated basis to a planned maintenance programme. The objective of this approach is to increase the efficiency and productivity of the tree maintenance crews and advance a programme of proactive programme of cyclical pruning targeting priority locations where intervention is most needed and will yield greatest community benefit.

However, the Council’s Tree Management Policy ‘Living With Trees’ also acknowledges and recognises that there will always be a need to carry out reactive works, although the quantity of this work should reduce over time as cyclical work is embedded. In addition to the planned whole estate and road programme, reactive works continue to be carried out primarily to manage risks to the public. Wherever possible the Council’s approach to tree management seeks to strike a balance between the nuisance experienced by individuals, the level of risk involved and the benefits offered by the tree to the wider community. It is not the Council's policy to remove healthy trees unless there are exceptional circumstances. Where such circumstances involve elderly and disabled residents or issues of significant concern to residents regardless of age or ability, the Council already exercises discretion by dealing with such matters on a case by case basis. It is important to recognise that the removal of a street tree will often negate the benefit of 30-40 years or more of growth. This asset is not easily replaced and the Council has a duty to act responsibly in managing a sustainable tree population for both current and future generations.