Tree inspections to increase across Wolverhampton

The council’s arboricultural team, which is responsible for the cultivation and management of the city’s estimated 60,000 trees has been expanded in order to provide an additional 14,000 inspections each year.

An update on the programme is set to go before the council’s Vibrant and Sustainable City Scrutiny Panel next Thursday.

In a report to members, the council’s environmental place based development manager, Claire Walters said: “The number of existing highway tree inspections have been doubled and a new two-yearly condition survey will be introduced to routinely inspect trees in our parks, green open spaces, cemeteries and land under the responsibility of the corporate landlord.

“This will result in at least a five-fold increase in the number of trees to be inspected. In order to conduct the two-yearly condition survey, a resource equivalent to six arboriculture officers and an additional arboriculture maintenance team is needed.

“Additional technology has been purchased and resources reconfigured by increasing in-house staffing levels and out-sourcing work to a subcontractor – presently Acorn. This will enable the council to inspect all the trees – estimated at 60,000 – every two years.

“Whilst it is not always well received, it is our position that we will not do work on a healthy tree. In fact, working on a healthy tree can increase the liability to the authority,” added the report.

“It is always better to leave a tree in its maiden condition unless absolutely necessary.

“We do of course look at individual cases balancing a variety of different considerations around pruning and removal, but it does remain out policy that we only work on a dead, diseased, or dangerous tree.

“The team have to ensure that any work does not compromise the tree, especially when there are targets around tree planting across the city.

“Unfortunately, what we have also seen is an increase in verbal abuse and threats to our arbor service officers, due to unrealistic expectations of what tree maintenance can do for the issues that some residents face.

“This is not acceptable and is causing distress and worry for staff who are doing their job and causing them to consider whether they want to continue in their roles,” said the report.

“We accept that tree management can be a contentious issue, but we must always consider and respect the professional opinions of the trained arbor staff when making decisions around tree safety and protecting our green city."

The council’s Highway Tree Maintenance Programme states that a tree will only be cut down if it is unsafe, but will then be replaced it with a new one.