COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, March 13, 2023

QUESTION NO.25

QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons

To ask the chief executive for a report into Tree diseases, to outline the main ones and would he relate this to recent tree removal in the county that has caused huge public concern ?

REPLY:

South Dublin County Council wishes to ensure that its tree resource is managed in a way that reflects good practice, minimises risks to people and property; and protects the health and vitality of its tree resource. The Council’s policy with regard to tree management is outlined in its tree management policy ‘Living with Trees’.

As outlined South Dublin County Council’s Tree Management Policy Section 4.9 Pest & Disease Control: The Council will investigate signs of pests and diseases and where practicable, will respond in accordance with current best practice. In the last few years, several new pests and diseases have emerged in Europe as significant risks to tree health and plant biosecurity. The growth of global trade in plants and the increasing movement between countries of plant material increases the risk of new pests and diseases.  The predicted changes in climate may increase the risk of these pests and diseases spreading. Small changes in temperature or weather patterns, due to climate change, can enable organisms to become established in areas where previously they would have struggled to survive.

Monitoring tree health and protecting our trees, woodlands and forests from pests and diseases is an increasingly important part of sustainable tree and forest management. Some of the main tree diseases have occurred in South Dublin, for instance in 2022 Fire Blight was identified by a Dept of Agriculture officer on 3 street trees in Palmerstown. The infected trees were removed and buried safely in compliance with the Dept of Agriculture procedures. Ash trees showing signs of decline and dieback county-wide were also removed as a result of infection by ‘Ash Dieback’ (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus). Dead Elm and Alder trees were also removed due to 'Dutch Elm' and 'Phytophthora’ diseases.

The Council has a duty of care to ensure members of the public and staff are not put at risk because of any failure to take reasonable precautions to ensure their safety. All such processes balance the need for safety with the amenity and other benefits of trees on a risk assessment basis. Exposure to an element of risk is however accepted as an unavoidable consequence of all environments where trees are present.

The Council conducts a risk-based system of tree management based on a programme of regular inspection with the aim of promoting good tree health, condition, diversity, public amenity and a balanced age profile. The Council engages an appropriately qualified, skilled and experienced arboriculturist to carry out tree surveys and reports on identified high risk and mature trees on public roads, parks and open spaces under the Council’s control, for the purposes of tree risk management. This approach highlights necessary works at an early stage and enable hazards to be identified and made safe in a cost effective and efficient way. South Dublin County Council are remaining vigilant regarding its urban forest and urge private landowners and the public to do the same.

In relation to tree felling in recent weeks, the bird nesting season extends from March to end of August, during which there is a prohibition on tree and hedgerow pruning in general to protect nesting birds (with some exceptions contained within legislation). SDCC have several large scale and some small scale projects currently underway that have been approved by the council and / or have achieved planning permission or Part 8 approval by the council. In order for these projects to proceed in a timely fashion and in order to decrease disruption to nesting birds, it was decided to carry out the tree felling works during the off season; hence the recent tree felling operations. These works were planned, the trees were subject to tree reports by qualified arboriculturists and decisions were made in conjunction with the project proposals and the final proposals were submitted for council approval and / or public consultation and Part 8 or planning approval; depending on the project size and scale in each case. The reason for tree felling can vary from project to project; some correspond with trees being felled for tree health, visitor safety, some tree felling is required by virtue of the project proposals and some tree felling may correspond with a mix of reasons. In all cases SDCC try to reduce, as much as possible, the need for tree removal and balance risk, tree health and safety requirements and the project proposals with the retention of trees.

In all cases where tree felling is unavoidable within a project, SDCC mitigate the loss of trees by additional tree planting within the scheme where possible, or elsewhere.