COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
MOTION NO. 8
MOTION: Councillor G. O'Connell
"To compliment the Chief Executive and his staff for the recently launched very welcome tree planting scheme, and to ask the Manager responsible for a report on the number of trees in the Lucan Palmerstown Committee area and the number of individual trees that are contentious i.e. have been represented to the Council either by elected members, local action groups and/or individuals as in need of removal."
REPORT:
"South Dublin County Council recognises the value of street trees in the urban environment and the support for the Council's street tree planting programme is welcomed. In recent years, due to increased demand for maintenance to be carried out on existing trees, the Council has focussed the application of its available resources primarily on tree pruning and removal activity. This resulted in very limited implementation of new or replacement tree planting across the county over the past few years. However, as committed in the 2015-2020 Tree Management Policy "Living With Trees", the Council aims to identify an annual target and budget for tree planting to re-establish its commitment to a countywide programme of tree planting to ensure the renewal and continuity of our tree population for future generations. In this regard, an additional €50,000 provision for tree planting was included under the Council's 2016 budget. This equates to approximately 1,000 trees across the county. A tree planting programme has been prepared and the implementation of this programme is ongoing and will be completed in spring 2017.
As well as planning for renewal of the tree population, it is important to recognise and promote the value of existing trees. South Dublin County has an estimated population of c.60,000 trees. However, an inventory of street trees has not previously been undertaken and information relating to the numbers, distribution, age and condition of the trees is limited and it is currently not possible to accurately quantify the total number of existing trees in the Lucan/Palmerstown area. Early in 2016, the Council purchased a computerised tree management system and commenced a countywide survey of our street trees. This survey is ongoing and almost 10,000 trees have been surveyed and recorded to date. Approximately 2,000 of these electronic records relate to trees in the Lucan Palmerstown area. For each individual tree surveyed, the record comprises details of location, species, age, size, condition, maintenance history and management requirements. The Council is using this data to better manage its tree maintenance and to prioritise actions for our street tree population.
In relation to requests for tree removals in the Lucan/Palmerstown area, analysis of the Council's Customer Contact System indicates 88 records of requests categorised under the heading of 'Tree Removal' for the period January 1, 2016 to date. The removal of trees is sought for a variety of reasons, some of which are valid while others are considered unwarranted. The Council's 2015-2020 Tree Management Policy "Living With Trees" allows for the removal of street trees in certain circumstances. These include where a street trees is dead, dying or potentially a public hazard that cannot be corrected through pruning or other reasonable arboricultural or engineering practices. The Council's Tree Management Policy also specifies a number of circumstances that are not considered acceptable reasons for street tree removal. Some inconvenience from street trees is considered a necessary and natural consequence of living in a district where street trees provide significant benefit to residents and the broader community.
The Council also 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. Decisions on planting, pruning, felling and the type of maintenance regime employed should be consistent and able to stand up scrutiny. Where a request is made for removal of a tree, an inspection is carried out and each tree is evaluated for possible removal on a case-by-case basis having regard to the criteria for removal of a tree as set out in the Council's Tree Management Policy. The Council considers that trees are important to the visual amenity of the County with many associated benefits and it has a general presumption against the needless felling of healthy trees. 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."