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The BIG Drive Home

4:00 pm 7:00 pm

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DIGITAL SYSTEM ENHANCES COUNCIL’S TREE RISK MANAGEMENT

Written by on 2 February 2025

A digital system is behind significant improvements in how the council manages its comprehensive tree stock.

New software is now being used by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council to plot and effectively manage more than 115,000 trees it is responsible for, at 307 different sites, covering approximately 650 hectares of land.

The software is supporting a draft Tree Risk Management Strategy – a new framework balancing the benefits and risks associated with the council’s increasing and maturing tree stock – by enhancing the council’s “tree intelligence” and guiding its approach to directing resources into higher risk trees and locations, ensuring the large stock is as safe and diverse as possible for residents, property and buildings.

The draft strategy includes specific procedures for dealing with emergencies like Storm Darragh which compounded damage at Clough Hall Park caused by separate incident of severe weather likened to a tornado. Post-storm impact surveys and funds are directed to the highest priority areas, enabling a pro-active and responsive approach to public safety. Clough Hall Park reopened yesterday following a major operation involving the removal, or works to make safe, approximately 50 severely damaged trees.

Now, Cabinet is being asked to endorse the proposed strategy and adopt it as policy going forward.

Cllr. David Hutchison, Cabinet member for Sustainable Environment, said: “Trees are wonderful and vital to our existence in many ways. As well as being highly valued by residents and for their importance to Newcastle’s landscape, they provide oxygen, remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide food and shelter for wildlife. The council is planting thousands of new trees across the borough, as part of its Borough Tree Planting Strategy, to help achieve net zero for the council’s estate and operations by 2030.

“While there are undeniable environmental and social benefits to managing significant numbers and varieties of tree stock in multiple locations, there is also a risk associated with every single tree in the council’s ownership. Tree failures can cause significant damage, as can be seen most recently at Clough Hall Park. The council recognises those risks and has developed a clear and robust strategy to manage them to a good standard on behalf of residents who use, pass by and neighbour council land.

“The software provides an effective system for data management, resource allocation and planning, which is crucial for ensuring the safety of the public and meeting the council’s legal obligations. It’s a key tool as we move towards a more digital approach to record-keeping, which also aims to make it easier for residents and businesses to engage with the council.”

An established seasonal arboriculture team has now been extended into a year-round service, enabling an improved position in terms of collating tree data, with additional surveying support available.