2 days ago
Councils act after girl, 7, killed by falling tree
Two local authorities have thrown their weight behind a collaborative scheme to oversee 78,000 trees.
Stafford Borough and Cannock Chase Councils are poised to pour funds into a cutting-edge software system and regular hazard assessments for council-owned trees scattered over an expanse of more than 261 square miles.
The executive committees of both councils have given the green light to the tree management strategy at their most recent gatherings. The initiative is also expected to grant the public access to data on trees.
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A report presented to the cabinet highlighted that queries about trees in open spaces rank among the top concerns for both councils. "Updating the software would allow tree enquiries to be more efficiently dealt with via a self-service customer portal", the document further noted.
Councillor Tony Pearce, who holds the portfolio for climate action and nature recovery at Stafford Borough Council, remarked: "The report deals with three types of category of tree – trees owned by the councils, the Tree Preservation Order (TPO) trees and trees that are in a conservation area. It talks of the need to acquire a software system to manage the council-owned trees and merge the entire tree management operation under one officer to have a system that is public facing, where members of the public can access information about both the council-owned trees and those that are subject to Tree Protection Orders or in a conservation area."
For the first time, locals will have easy access to key data about their green surroundings. "For the first time, members of the public will be able to readily access this sort of information. We have 78,000 trees owned by the two authorities, in an area that covers seven times the size of Coventry City."
reveals the latest report.
The document outlines a new inspection regime: "It's a very large area and does require routine inspection. There will be a system where trees owned by the councils are categorised into three different risk categories; red inspected every year, amber inspected every three years and green inspected every five years."
The strategy is tailored to public safety concerns: "This is about where those trees are located and the extent of footfall near to those trees. It will mean trees are inspected regularly and those that are in the most high risk areas are dealt with most frequently."
Cannock Chase Council's leader Tony Johnson emphasises the legal implications of tree maintenance: "We need to maintain trees in a safe manner. If you have a rotten tree and it falls on someone, this council or Stafford Borough Council are liable. I think that type of risk assessment is something we need to do and we have now got an opportunity to do it."
In light of a recent tragedy, Councillor Maureen Freeman from Cannock Chase Council underscores the urgency of managing tree risks: "We all know about the little girl who died. It's not something we want in this area so I welcome this report."
