COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE
Monday, December 18, 2017
HEADED ITEM NO. 12
HEADED ITEM: M. Keenan
Report on 2017 Tree Management Programme
In the period January 1 – November 30 2017, tree maintenance involving tree pruning and removal, was carried out on just over 2,500 trees across the county. This figure includes tree maintenance works completed on over 380 trees in the Tallaght Area.
Throughout 2017 to date, the Council has had two full-time tree crews in operation with one primarily carrying out tree maintenance north of the N7 and the other operating south of the N7. Recruitment of 5 new staff to enable the formation of a third full-time tree crew took place in May and June of this year. These staff are currently deployed within the existing tree crew structures in order to gain practical experience while undergoing the necessary training and skills development to advance the formation of a third full-time tree crew. During the period January to March, two additional seasonal tree crews were also deployed in the delivery of the tree maintenance service across the county. Seasonal tree crews are again being deployed in accordance with staff availability over the ongoing winter and forthcoming early spring period.
In line with the Council's Tree Management Policy 2015-2020 "Living With Trees", the focus of the 2017 Tree Maintenance Programme has been on a planned programme of works for entire roads or whole estates. The objective of this approach is to enable efficiency and productivity of the tree maintenance crews and advance a proactive programme of cyclical pruning targeting priority locations where intervention is most needed and where it will yield greatest community benefit.
The following is a list of estates in the Tallaght Area where a complete programme of tree maintenance involving removal or pruning of all trees that were identified as requiring works was carried out during 2017. In advance of commencing works within an estate or road, a full survey of all trees at the location is carried out to inform the programme and scheduling of tree pruning and removal works for all trees in the estate or road that are identified as requiring tree maintenance.
Tree Inspections & Maintenance of Whole Estates Completed during 2017
|
Estate / Road |
Status |
|
Alpine Rise |
Tree survey complete |
|
Ashfield, Kingswood Heights |
Tree survey complete |
|
Bancroft estate |
Tree survey complete |
|
Belgard Heights – The Dale; Meadows East & West |
Works complete |
|
Heatherview Road |
Works complete |
|
Glenview Park |
Works complete |
|
Redwood Avenue, Drive & Lawn |
Works complete |
|
Kingswood Drive |
Tree survey complete |
|
Kingswood Heights – The Close |
Tree survey complete |
|
Kingswood Heights – The Dale |
Tree survey complete |
|
Parkwood estate |
Tree survey complete |
|
Sylvan Avenue |
Tree survey complete |
|
Walnut Close |
Tree survey complete |
Removal of poplar trees at Glenview along N81
An independent arborist’s report on the condition of trees located along the boundary of Glenview Park with the N81 road outlined two Tree Management options as follows:
- Option 1 -To remove all the trees in one go and to carry out replanting with a more appropriate tree species.
- Option 2 - To remove the trees on a phased basis and to carry out new tree planting in a similar phased basis as the trees are removed.
Following a series of meeting with local representatives and residents and reports to Tallaght Area Committee, a decision was made to proceed with the removal of the trees in two phases. Arrangements were made to proceed with the removal of approximately half of the trees early in 2017 and to remove the remaining trees at a later stage during 2017.
Phase 1 – March 2017 - 66 trees removed
Phase 2 – November 2017 – 46 trees removed
This work is now complete and the necessary landscape remedial works and the proposed replacement planting will take place as part of the first phase of the N81 Landscape Improvement Scheme in 2018.
Emergency Tree Works
In addition to the planned whole estate and road programme, reactive and emergency works are carried out on individually located trees as necessary in order to manage risks to the public. This service is for dangerous trees such as trees with large hanging branches, where a tree is in danger of falling, or where a tree has actually fallen. If a tree is identified as posing an immediate and present danger, action will be taken to make the tree safe. Emergency works are also carried out where a tree is rendered hazardous as a result of severe weather conditions.
Arising from storm Doris in February this year, the Council’s tree maintenance crews removed 28 trees from across the county. Storm Ophelia on October 16th last necessitated the removal of 58 trees across the county and remedial tree pruning works were carried out on a further 32 trees. The clean-up operation post storm Ophelia, which took precedence over the Council’s planned Tree Maintenance Programme for a period of approximately 3 weeks, also involved removal of fallen branches and other debris from over 90 reported locations.
Emergency and reactive tree works will normally take priority over the planned programme of tree maintenance works in estates and it must be recognised that there is consequent impact on progress with the planned programme. Emergency tree works were carried out on a total of over 150 trees during 2017.
Tree Planting
A programme of tree planting is currently in progress which involves the planting of c.230 trees in the Tallaght Area over the coming weeks in fulfilment of tree planting commitments under the 2017 tree planting programme. Locations for this tree planting include Killinarden Road, Kilclare Drive, Kingswood Heights – The Court, The Dale, The Drive, The Garth and The Grove, Maplewood, Parkhill, Pinewood, Redwood and Millbrook Lawn estates.
The tender process is currently in progress to procure a further 215 trees for planting in the Tallaght Area during spring 2018. Locations for this tree planting include Dalepark Road, Birchview, Cairnwood, Carrigmore, Church Grove, Heatherview, Kilcarrig, Kiltipper, Knockmore, Parkhill, Parkwood, Pineview and St. Aonghus estates.
Tree Trail in Sean Walsh Park
A new educational tree trail is being developed in Sean Walsh Park in conjunction with the Love Tallaght Outdoors group. The project will be implemented in early 2018 and involves planting a variety of different native trees and creation of a trail with information signage. Funding for the initiative has been provided under the 2017 Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund.