Tree Management Protocol & Guidance

     This section of the Tree Management Protocol & Guidance details how the Council will respond to a range of scenarios related to the care and management of its own tree stock and outlines protocols and guidance for these eventualities.           

2.2.1 Standards & Quality Assurance

The Council is committed to the highest standards of care and maintenance in its tree stock. Only tree works that are intended to improve the health and safety of the tree and are in accordance with good arboricultural practice will be carried out.  Each tree works recommendation will be created following an inspection by a professionally trained arboriculturist and be specific to that tree.  All tree works will be undertaken to the current version of ‘British Standard BS 3998 Tree Work – Recommendations’.

Many older practices, such as 'lopping', 'topping' and some forms of pollarding of healthy trees are no longer considered good practice due to the harm they cause to a tree’s health, structural safety, and natural appearance.  These will not be carried out by the Council unless the trees are to be managed for wildlife habitat or where it can be demonstrated to be in the interests of the long-term management of the tree.

2.2.2 Proactive Tree Surveys

The Council’s Tree Service will undertake a proactive programme of tree surveys documenting the location, condition, and environment of trees in its ownership. This process will help the Council to identify any health and safety risks, manage and control the spread of any diseases, and gain a better understanding of biodiversity across the borough.

Frequency of tree surveys will depend on the location and environment of the tree and the potential risk of harm to the tree or issues arising from the proximity of the tree to busy areas such as road junctions.

The table below is offered as a guide only. A specific Classification for Tree Surveys which meets the statutory requirements for tree management and is realistic within the resources of the team will be added as an Appendix to this guidance from September 2021.

The Council’s Tree Service is currently working towards establishing a full audit of its tree stock (approximately 10,000 surveys per year). Tree surveys will adopt the Visual Tree Assessment (VTA) method to identify signs of poor health, biomechanical weaknesses and disease. Each survey will identify and document:

• Any negative conditions such as deterioration, decay, or disease
• Appropriate tree works which will be allocated a timescale depending on the significance of the works required
• Surrounding environments including wildlife and habitats and any key features such as, large volumes of traffic, buildings, and bus stops.

A tree population is an ever-changing resource. As trees grow, die, and are replaced, their impacts on their surroundings evolve dramatically over their life cycles. The results of the surveys will be held on the Council’s Ezytreev database in order to monitor environmental changes over time.

2.2.3 Prioritisation of Tree Works

Although trees provide huge benefits to communities and climate, they can at times also pose great risks to health and safety from damage to property, injury to people or wildlife or, in the most extreme cases, death.  There are also many competing pressures placed on the Council’s tree stock, from contributing to the climate change agenda and managing pests and diseases to increased competition for space in our towns and villages.

In order to maintain a healthy tree stock, the Council operates an annual maintenance programme based on works that have been identified through the proactive tree surveys. Works will be prioritised based on a risk assessment for each tree which considers:

• the location of the tree and the likely risks posed to the health and safety of public and property
• the seriousness of the tree works required e.g., controlling pest and disease will be prioritised above general maintenance.
• the availability of budget and resources to undertake the work

Given the complex and competing priorities works are RAG rated based on their individual risk assessments, with likely timescales for work set out below:

The effective care and management of trees is a statutory responsibility and as such appropriate resources will be made available in order to ensure that the Council both complies with its duty of care in respect of tree safety and that it maximises the potential benefits its tree resource can provide.

2.2.4 Responding to Dangerous & Emergency Incidents

Although proactive tree surveys will identify potential risks there are occasions when unexpected events such as storms, accidents and vandalism mean that trees can pose threats to the health and safety of people or property and potentially become dangerous.

In these instances, the Council relies on members of the public to report potential issues and is extremely grateful for their support. If you feel that there might be a dangerous tree in your local area but aren’t sure, some of the following signs are a guide to what may constitute an emergency incident:

1. Has the tree snapped or blown over?
2. Is the tree rocking at its base, revealing its roots?
3. Has the tree been uprooted but is being held up by another tree or building?
4. Has a large branch broken off or is hanging from the tree?
5. Is the tree blocking a road, footpath, access to property?
6. Has the tree fallen on to a building or vehicle?

Sometimes these events will have damaged a tree but will not be classed as an emergency as they do not pose immediate threat to health and safety. Signs that a tree is dangerous but not requiring emergency attention could include:

1. The tree is dead
2. The tree is dying; signs of this include very few leaves in summer or dieback in the crown
3. Bark is loose and falling off
4. Mushrooms or fungi growing on or near the tree
5. Old splits and cracks in the trunk or large branches

Trees requiring immediate/emergency action can be reported by calling 01709 336003 or visiting: https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/forms/form/336/en/report_a_problem_with_a_tree

Responses to reports of dangerous trees and emergency works will be made within 24 hours of receiving the report.

If the tree poses immediate threat it will be removed within 24 hours of the report, if the tree does not pose an immediate threat but the risk is likely to increase it will be managed within one month.

2.2.5 Trips & Hazard Caused by Council Owned Trees

The highway, including carriageways, footways, and verges, is regularly inspected by the Council’s Highway Service.  A team of Highway Inspectors undertake inspections in accordance with Council Policy and associated ‘Code of Practice for Highway Inspection and Assessment’. Should any dangerous defect on the highway be attributed to tree roots, the Council’s Tree Service will be consulted to help resolve the issue.

There are a number of ways the Council can repair a footway damaged by tree roots:

• The pavement surface can be re-laid or ‘built up’
• Isolated roots can be pruned
• Alternative surfacing or engineering solutions can be used to provide an even surface
• Removal of the tree.

Felling a tree is a last resort and is only deployed where no other solution is available to provide a safe public highway.