Most
vital piece of equipment for council worker Paul Rich in the next two years will be a pair
of walking boots as he tramps the city counting every council-owned tree.
The city council owns an estimated 100,000 trees in parks, open spaces, roads and
woodland, and as the newly appointed tree inspector Paul has the task of building a
database.
It means he has to visit every tree to inspect its condition, detail its position and
attach a number tag.
He says:
"There is no other way of surveying the trees. I have to check every one and I
anticipate it will take me two years to complete."
The Leisure Services Department is responsible for the maintenance of the 50,000 trees
in parks and open spaces and another 50,000 in woodland.
The tree inspector will use a handheld computer to log each type of tree, its general
condition, its position and he will then attach a metal number plate in an inconspicuous
place on the tree.
The information will then be used to build a programme of tree inspections and
maintenance. Each tree will be grouped into one of four categories, depending on its
condition, to determine the frequency of future inspection.
The council hopes that its survey and subsequent maintenance will reduce its liability
for claims involving ‘hazard’ trees. A sum of £49,000 was set aside in the
parks and open spaces budget for tree works and £35,000 has already been spent to deal
with potentially hazardous trees. The remaining £14,000 has been reserved to cater for
any storm damage up to the end of the financial year.
