Sudden council bias against shrubs and trees?

[Amoeba]

Since this affects all wildlife in general I guess this goes here...

It seems lately here in Edinburgh, or at least on my side of the city the council have been taking more steps than usual to remove shrubs and young trees for no apparent reason.

At a park I used to frequent they started removing many trees and shrubs in favour of open space. These were, however, in spots set aside for trees and shrubs. Basically they made the ground bare of shrubs and thinned out the trees. Their intent according the response to my email was to remove non-native species and thin out areas of risk, specifying places where trees overhang over paths or where the trees are damaged or could fall in high winds. This left the destruction of healthy, native trees that were well established and out of the way unexplained.

Recently, a friend of mine had people from the council in their garden to put up a new fence on one side of the garden. They had no choice but to remove the shrubs lining the part where the fence was to be put up and this was agreed to - nothing was said about the others and the young trees that were well out of the way of the new fence. Yet, for some reason, they removed everything, even the young trees leading to a lot of frustration as these were much loved and cared-for plants.

Now, the grass cutters. They're supposed to cut grass, right? Well just lately I've seen them being used not just for cutting grass, but for eating entire bushes. I doubt they're supposed to because the machine sometimes stalls on large bushes. Bushes that have been growing in these particular spots for years and before you say "maybe they were causing problems" I don't see how. They were in spots (again) set aside for shrubs and trees. These spots have been getting smaller and smaller through out the course of the past year, never before have I seen them shrink so drastically. Hawthorns, elders, roses all falling victim. I even seen them try to take the big old rosemary just outside but thankfully it was too tough for their machines and it's been left alone since.

What's the sudden bias against trees and greenery? Why is grass being replaced with concrete? Why are shrubs and young trees being removed like vermin from spots where they could thrive without disturbing anyone? Why do they go to the trouble of planting young trees and giving them those support shields only to tear them down a few years later? Why do they say they're all for wildlife but remove the homes birds and mammals need?

[Gill Catton]

I think the suddenness is probably to do with the time of year as they can be reasonably certain that there are no nesting birds. I can't help with what their motives may have been but it may well be that the removal have been planned fror months but has been waiting for a safe time of year to actually be doing the removal. Also using brushcutters and large machines does look quite extreme- but its quicker thereby resulting in less man hours and less taxpayers money I suppose.

[Amoeba]

Ah, sorry. By sudden I meant over years, I actually first noticed this at the beginning of the year. I've seen the grass cutter machines eating shrubs through out the year, even in spring and summer. I don't have a clue if there were any nests in there, but they just went over them as if they were just another patch of grass, sometimes stalling their machines in the process leading me to wonder if they were even designed to do that kind of job.

Still leaves the removal of native, established, healthy trees unexplained. If you were to go there yourself before and after, the removal would seem completely random and indiscriminate and leave a very empty feeling - it looks more like an urban scheme now than a park.

It's just a shame that there's a severe lack of greenery as it is, now it seems suddenly (as in, over the past year or two) they're doing a major clamp down on it.

[SheffieldLass]

Does your council have an Ecology Unit? If so you could raise your concerns with them. It could of course be that there are new workers who are into more drastic cutting back, rather than a deliberate change of policy. On the other hand every so often councils seem to get 'new brooms' who do an over zealous risk assessment and start to worry that shrubs = seclusion = antisocial behaviour, and get busy removing any undergrowth for 'safety' reasons. Or don't like shrubs/ground cover as wind blown litter tends to get stuck in them.

[loripo]

This has happened in our local park too. Quite noticable. We think it is because the park was being used for 'cottaging' and by rough sleepers who have set light to, and vandalised a lot of the seats, fences etc. They have Parks Police who are usually well out of the way when needed and dont patrol at night. It's easier it seems to get rid of the shrubbery, than to get rid of the vandals, so basically they win.
This has also happened to many of the local trees - byelaws state that they have to be a certain height off the footpaths and they just get hacked off to this level, usually just on one side of the tree. And at any old tiime whether the tree is in leaf or not. Very depressing.

[thebeard]

there's a trainline that runs by some ancient woodland in nottingham, and last year they cut down a large area of trees running by the trainline. i could see why they'd trim some back and do a bit of felling to clear the way for the trains, but they cleared a massive area surrounding it covering the whole embankment, with no clear reason, they're not doing anything with it! although it wasnt old woodland as such, there was still some mature trees there and would have been good habitat before they removed it. it just annoys me when councils boast about 'green cities' and 'breathing places' but then destroy large areas for no real reason. it could very well have been the rail company, but it still annoyed me as it was nice to see some trees instead of the sparse embankment that now remains. i suppose thats the nature of many landowners though, its not in their best interests to conserve these natural environments

[tcvarlh]

There is a 1 and one half mile road along the outskirts of where I live that last year had hedges, Haw and Elder mostly but some other stuff too. All of it has been ripped out and metal 'can and paper collector' fencing installed. Something like 3000 people complained, they were sent letters explaining they didn't understand the council's policies. Phrased in such a way as to make most of the complainers feel as though they were idiots. The three council members whose marvellous idea the fence was will not be councillors next session. The fence now sports a most decorative collection of garbage.
Makes me want to be VIOLENTly ill!
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