COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

QUESTION NO. 4

QUESTION: Councillor B. Bonner

"To ask the Chief Executive to explain why it appears to have taken much longer to remove tree stumps in Oakwood Grove, where the trees were cut well over a year ago, than it did in Floraville where the stumps appeared to be removed almost immediately  and replacement trees planted.  What are the plans to remove the tree stumps from two phases of tree cutting in Oakwood and what  tree replacement planting plans are there in place?"

REPLY:

When a street tree is felled by the Council, it is not always possible to remove the stump immediately.  Under these circumstances a short tree stump is left as a temporary measure. The stump is usually left at around 1m high so that it does not constitute a trip hazard in the intervening period. Tree stump removal is normally undertaken during the winter months between November and February when staff who are engaged in grass cutting operations over the growing season are reassigned to this task. It may also be done once there are a sufficient number within a location for their removal to be economical, subject to staffing commitments to other Public Realm seasonal operations of the time.

In regard to Oakwood Grove, some priority works were carried out on trees at this location some months back and the Council’s tree crew are currently near completion of the remainder of a planned programme of tree pruning and removal works on all trees within the estate that are considered to require works at this time. On completion of these works, the estate is being listed on the tree stump removals programme for completion of all tree stump removals as soon as practically possible when the programme resumes in the autumn.

Oakwood Grove will be surveyed to identify suitable locations for new or replacement tree planting and any currently suitable sites will be listed for planting as part of the winter 2018/spring 2019 tree planting programme. However, where a tree and stump has been recently removed, sufficient time needs to elapse to allow breakdown of residual underground root material to provide the root space for establishment of a new tree and the process from removal to replanting may take up to 3-5 years.  In accordance with the Council’s Tree Management Policy 2015-2020 ‘Living With Trees’, the aim is 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 with the same species that was previously planted or in the same location due to the presence of underground services or other limiting factors.