The county council is responsible for trees on its own land and for ensuring the safety of the public highway and can intervene if trees on adjacent private land are identified as posing a threat. Within the county, trees on district, borough, town and parish council land are the responsibility of the respective councils and are managed according to their policies; a joined-up approach is sought where appropriate and regular meetings of district and borough council tree officers are held to share experiences and best practice.

The county council employs one arboricultural manager to oversee management of its highway trees, one estates officer to manage trees and woodlands across its rural estate, and a countryside management team to manage a prominent woodland nature reserve, the rights of way network and to provide land-management advice to staff and landowners, including support to address risks associated with pests, diseases and other factors affecting tree health.

Responsibility: The county council is responsible for managing trees:

• on 5000 km of highway land in 10 district areas (delivered in seven districts through agreements by district councils);
• on 3200 km of rights of way in 10 district areas;
• on 4500 ha of rural estate land, much of which has public access;
• on a variety of other council-owned property assets;
• in 400 schools.

The arboricultural manager oversees contract management for the survey and maintenance of trees on highway land that is delivered by seven district council tree officers through agency agreements and by a dedicated highways contractor.

The estates officer oversees tree survey and maintenance of the county council’s rural woodlands and agricultural land, which is outsourced to an approved contractor. The countryside management team manage a prominent woodland nature reserve in-house and outsource surveys of the rights of way network to an approved contractor. 

Arboricultural competence: The arboricultural manager has arboricultural qualifications at Level 5 of the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF), plus a professional tree inspector qualification, and 30 years’ experience. The estates officer has attended tree inspection training and has 14 years’ experience of woodland management. The countryside management team comprises access and land management specialists who have attended tree inspection training.

Much of the county council’s land is accessible, with a 5000 km highway network, 3200 km of footpaths, bridleways and byways, 400 ha of accessible woodland and council buildings that are accessible to residents and staff. Much of the estate is in frequent use by the public.

The county council places great value on its trees and woodlands and the contribution they make to local services, improved air quality, flood-risk mitigation, carbon storage, forage and habitat for biodiversity, landscape and place. Residents are encouraged to visit and enjoy woodlands and green spaces.

The county council acknowledges the local importance of individual trees for the benefits they provide to people and nature, particularly veteran trees, which require careful management to enhance their longevity while maintaining acceptable levels of risk. Where possible, the county council adopts management approaches that mitigate the risks from individual trees without diminishing the benefits provided by the overall treescape.

The county council recognises that a tree’s benefits and the management it requires will fluctuate throughout its lifespan. Consequently, management that promotes the health, longevity and resilience of the wider treescape as a collective, and which takes the various tree populations into account, is an effective strategy for ensuring the continued provision of countywide tree-related benefits. To make the best use of tree budgets and optimise tree benefits, where practicable the county council adopts proactive resource management of its trees and woodlands through traditional and conservation forestry principles and sustainable urban forestry, which include endeavouring to diversify the age and species profile of its tree asset, improving local habitats and promoting biodiversity.

In recognition of the increasing pressures upon tree health posed by pests, diseases and a changing climate, the county council added tree health to its corporate risk register and instructed the development of a county-wide Tree Resilience Strategy in partnership with other local stakeholders. The county council has significant incidence of Chalara ash dieback and some instances of acute oak decline. It has developed a Chalara ash dieback strategy to plan for and manage levels of intervention as the disease has spread widely through the county.

Investigating for signs of Chalara ash dieback is part of the scheduled survey regime, which also includes a drive-by survey of the highway network to identify signs of dieback in roadside ash on both highway and adjacent private land across the county and record this for targeted action. The county council communicates actively with neighbouring authorities with Chalara ash dieback to control risks appropriately while avoiding unnecessary loss of ash-dependent habitat.

The county council monitors national guidance and initiatives in relation to tree pests and diseases and their impacts on their tree populations. Increased focus on biosecurity and treescape resilience is being incorporated into woodland restoration and new woodland planting initiatives.