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SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, December 12, 2022

QUESTION NO.13

QUESTION: Councillor Lyn Hagin Meade

To ask about SDCC's provisions and policy regarding the growing trend for living potted Christmas trees; is an area available for residents to 'plant out' their living Christmas trees on SDCC land/in parks post-Christmas?

REPLY:

The growing trend for living Christmas trees is acknowledged and in a small way it obviously contributes to efforts to move to a more sustainable way of life.  The replanting of a living Christmas tree is something that would be best done in a private garden however, the Council's Public Realm Section does not provide areas on public lands for this purpose. 

The proposal raises issues regarding the maintenance and safeguarding of a tree which would be replanted on public land in this manner. They obviously would require watering and other maintenance however it also raises the possibility of vandalism, unintentional damage or theft of a privately owned tree which the Council has allowed to be planted on public lands. 

The proposal also raises issues regarding compliance with plant health legislation. The Council is considered to be a professional operator under plant health legislation which came into effect on 14 December 2019 (2016/2031/EU).  In practice a local authority has to comply with the requirement contained in this legislation that all plants which the Council receives for planting must have a Plant Passport.  It is considered unlikely that these plant health requirements could be complied with under such a proposal.