COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF LUCAN/PALMERSTOWN/FONTHILL AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

QUESTION NO. 14

QUESTION: Councillor Shane Moynihan

To ask the Chief Executive for an update of progress made since January on the Tree Maintenance Programme 2020-22 for Lucan-Palmerstown-Fonthill and to identify estates are to be addressed between now and the end of the year, notwithstanding the delay caused by COVID-19 restrictions

REPLY:

The Council's 3-year Tree Maintenance Programme 2020-2022 is carried out according to the Council's Tree Management Policy "Living With Trees", which states that the focus of tree maintenance is on entire roads or whole estates. This represents a move away from working on individual trees to that of a planned maintenance programme. This approach has increased the efficiency and productivity of the tree maintenance and commenced a proactive programme of cyclical pruning throughout the County.

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 maintenance. The tree surveys record data on tree species, age, maintenance required and photographic data.

The following is a list of estates where a complete list of tree maintenance including removal or pruning of all trees that were identified as requiring works has been carried out during 2020 - Glenfield, Wheatfields, Lealand and Lindinsfarne.

In addition to the planned whole estate and road programme, reactive and emergency works are carried out on trees as necessary in order to manage risks to the public. If a tree is identified as posing an immediate 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. An emergency is defined as a tree that is in immediate danger of collapse or causing an obstruction, requiring urgent attention. Emergency and reactive tree works will normally take priority over the planned programme of tree maintenance works in estates and it should be recognised that there is an impact on progress on the planned programme. Additional areas are also added to the new programme – these have been identified as a result of queries and area inspections.

The planned list of Tree Maintenance for the Lucan Palmerstown Fonthill areas for 2020  include Palmerstown Woods, Oakcourt, Wheatfield Road, Lucan Heights, Ballydowd Grove and Roselawn.

This programme will be reviewed on a monthly basis.