COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
QUESTION NO. 8
QUESTION: Councillor G. O'Connell
"To ask the Chief Executive for a report on the Tree Strategy for this LAC and to include the number and location of trees removed to date, the reasons why they were removed, the number and location of trees yet to be pruned and when they will be pruned, when tree stumps will be removed and when new planting will take place to replace the removed trees and why some trees that were requested by elected members or and residents were or have not been treated to date."
REPLY:
In line with the Council's Tree Management Policy 2015-2020 "Living With Trees", the focus of the Council's Tree Maintenance Programme is on entire roads or whole estates. The objective of this planned programme of maintenance is to increase the efficiency and productivity of the tree maintenance crews and to advance a proactive programme of cyclical pruning that is targeted at priority locations where intervention is most needed. Requests for tree maintenance on individual trees are inspected and prioritised accordingly. Where works are not considered an immediate priority, the tree is listed to be accommodated as part of the planned programme of tree maintenance for that area.
The Council has one full-time tree maintenance crew operating north of the N7 which alternates its activity across the Lucan/Palmerstown and Clondalkin areas.
Having regard to the above, as part of the planned tree maintenance programme for the current year, the Council’s tree maintenance crew has carried out a programme of tree pruning and removal at Woodview Heights involving pruning of 30 trees and removal of 6 trees. Estates scheduled for works in the coming months during 2018 include Hermitage Park, Hillcrest, Woodville and Esker Lane. In advance of works being carried out at these locations a full survey of all trees has been undertaken to determine the extent of the requirement for tree maintenance. In addition, during recent months, tree maintenance works have been carried out by a suitably qualified contractor on trees in close proximity to overhead electricity wires at the following locations: Ardeevin estate, Lucan Heights, Culmore Road, Ballydowd Grove, Chalet Gardens, Manor Road & Park, Glenaulin Road, Glenmaroon Road, Palmerstown Avenue, Court & Drive, Esker Lane, Kew Park, Roselawn, Turret Road, Wheatfield Road and Woodfarm. These works have involved removal of 115 trees and pruning of over 110 trees.
The Council's Tree Management Policy 2015-2020 "Living With Trees", Section 4.3.4.sets out the Council's policy in regard to removal of trees. Trees are removed only when necessary as a last resort. The criteria for tree removal are:
- The tree is dead, dying or is considered hazardous due to its poor structural or biological condition. Hazardous conditions may exist above and/or below ground and may include significant root, trunk or crown decay, split trunks and crotches, and large dead limbs.
- The tree has declined beyond the point of recovery and is no longer meeting the functional or aesthetic requirements of a street tree. Typically, a tree with 30 percent or less of its foliage remaining would meet this criterion.
- Fatally diseased trees (eg. Ash dieback, Fireblight Disease) may be removed before they reach the primary threshold in order to prevent the spread of disease to healthy trees.
- To allow space for development of nearby trees that may be more desirable for retention
- To allow space for new planting
- To make way for any approved engineering or building works when unavoidable construction work will immediately compromise the stability or viability of the tree.
- Tree proven to be causing significant structural damage that cannot be reasonably addressed by an alternative solution and proactive tree management has had no mitigating effect.
- To abate actionable nuisance
- The trunk of the tree is within 2m of a public lighting column and the long term viability of the tree if retained in its location would be compromised by a requirement for ongoing maintenance in order to maintain the effectiveness of the adjoining street light.
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. Locations of tree stumps in the Lucan and Palmerstown areas are noted on the Council’s tree stump removals programme for completion as soon as practically possible when the programme resumes in the autumn.
In regard to replacement planting, 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. While 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, the Council endeavours to plant replacement trees in the nearest available and most suitable location to where a tree has been removed."
The tree planting programme for winter 2018/spring 2019 is currently being compiled in response to requests from residents, elected members and observations and surveys by Council staff. Locations where trees have been removed are also being 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. This programme will be presented to the Lucan ACM and published on the Council's website in the forthcoming autumn.