Trees
Trees
Trees are an essential part of our lives.
They provide timber and habitats for wildlife, and are valued
for their beauty and the contribution they make to local
environments. However, if they are not looked after, trees can
become a problem to people who use the roads.
They may fall (particularly during storms), lose branches,
damage property and put people at risk of injury.
They are living things and they can become diseased, so we need
to look after them to make sure they are safe.
Trees are inspected by trained professionals, called
arboriculturists who cultivate, manage and make decisions about
trees.
When a tree is inspected, we look for things like:
- disease
- areas where the tree has died
- weakness or damage to the tree structure
- the size of the tree and where it is, for example, on a busy
road or on a quiet country lane
- if it affects the width and height clearance required for the
highway.
To help decide whether a tree is safe, new specialist equipment
is used. This gives a 'picture' of the inside of the tree to help
assess any decay
We want to keep as many trees as possible; cutting down a tree
is the very last option.
To try and save a tree we can:
- remove the dead wood
- remove the weak branches
- reduce the crown, or top, of the tree and give it a chance to
recover.
We also undertake replacement planting where possible although
there are significant constraints at many sites. When new planting
is selected, it will be appropriate for the area and future
maintenance requirements will be considered.
Service providers such as electricity, water and cable companies
have agreed to follow a code of practice to protect trees. They
will only dig around trees carefully by hand, they won't use
mechanical tools. This is especially important if the tree is in a
conservation area or covered by a tree preservation order.
Replacing trees that have been taken down
We always consider planting new trees when trees have been taken
down. Sometimes there are underground cables and pipes which would
not have been there when the original trees were planted. To plant
between them is not always possible.
Some people consider trees to be a problem. However, by law, we
do not have to sort out problems caused by trees, such as:
- falling leaves
- seeds dropping
- shade
- branches hanging over your garden
- sap dripping
- the tree interfering with television reception.
How we look after trees on the highway
We are responsible for the trees on the highways, so we inspect
them to make sure they are safe. In Kent a team of inspectors walk
over 2,000 kilometres of roads each year and assess
trees along the side of roads, on verges, on pathways, in
hedgerows, on footpaths and on private land.
We also check that trees, hedges and shrubs do not have leaves
or branches that obstruct the road. If we find any we deal with
them. If they are privately owned we can ask the person to cut,
trim or prune them to remove the obstruction.