More Trees to Save (and the Deadwood)

[nightshade]

I like deadwood and the inverts that live and breed in it (except woodlice )
Take a moment to look this petition over please.
Take action to protect dead and dying trees from exceptions to new TPO rules - Woodland Trust

[eeyore]

Personally I'm not sure i agree - While deadwood can be a good habitat, where the tree is located near rights of way, roads, play areas etc it can also be a menace to health and safety - and thus the exemption to allow the removal of dead branches without aproval from an overworked and underfunded local authority makes sense.

[pressld2]

I hear what you're saying Pete but I have grave concerns about these exemptions. A neighbour of mine has an oak tree on his property with a TPO. There's nothing he'd like more than to get rid of it as it has this nasty habit of dropping leaves on his garden for a few weeks every year. If these exemptions get the go ahead he''ll be able to hack off any branches he likes, chip them and burn the chippings. If anyone complains he'll be able to say that all the branches he cut off were dead and the council won't be able to prove they weren't. TPOs are already very difficult to police effectively and this will make them pretty much impossible.

Most of the mature trees in my neighbourhood have TPOs and most of the property owners would chop them down in a heartbeat if they thought they could get away with it.

I agree that there should be provision for 'urgent works in the interests of safety' but I think even this needs to be an independent assessment by a qualified professional and should not be left to the tree owner to decide.

Dave P.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by pressld2

I agree that there should be provision for 'urgent works in the interests of safety' but I think even this needs to be an independent assessment by a qualified professional and should not be left to the tree owner to decide.

Dave P.

Trouble is that many of the qualified proffesionals are about to be made redundant as part of the comprehensive spending review, so without the exemptions either work that needs doing wont get done, or more likely there will be more widespread flouting of the rules by those who feel they have no chice - making policing the legislation even more taxing for those few officers who remain

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by nightshade

I like deadwood and the inverts that live and breed in it (except woodlice )
Take a moment to look this petition over please.
Take action to protect dead and dying trees from exceptions to new TPO rules - Woodland Trust

What's wrong with woodlice?
I hadn't heard about this - thanks.
Apart from rotting, unsafe large limbs, I see no reeason for burning deadwood - perhaps moving it but not destroying it.

[Littlesparrow]

I use to live in Weston-Super-mare North Somerset about six years ago and at that time there were plenty of rotten trees about for Woodpeckers and horizontal trees left in the woods. I think then the council would only remove trees that were a danger to property or roads.

[seamusagleann]

try this link, might shed some light on it http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/trees_and_society_Apr2010_Dandy.pdf/$FILE/trees_and_society_Apr2010_Dandy.pdf