Kildare County Council urged not to cut trees until the end of August
No tree cutting or hedgerow maintenance should be done by Kildare County Council during the period of the cutting ban until August.
Green Party councillor Peter Hamilton said this should happen “in order to show unambiguous leadership” and the only exception that should apply is when there is a very clear and agreed emergency situation or very clear road safety concerns.”
And he added that the absolute minimum amount of cutting should take place and what is being done should be explained ot the public.
He told a KCC meeting that the issue is causing a lot of confusion and the council should show clear leadership.
He said that while a lot of tree cutting that takes place is legal, “we would honour the spirit of the law.”
He said the council should make it clear “it has to manage some exceptions.”
Cllr Bill Clear said there is a need to ensure that nesting birds are protected though some trees in housing estates can be cut.
KCC is required to maintain hedges and verges at junctions throughout the year to facilitate sightlines and the safe movement of traffic.
However no hedgecutting is done between March 1 and August 31 unless there is a specific health and safety concern, which is rare.
The legislation does not apply to the pruning of street trees.
Requests made to KCC for tree works are received through the year and those that come in between January and August are compiled, starting in September.
The council inspects these to establish the extent of works required and tenders are issued based on this. This process can involve inspecting 2,000-3,000 trees across the county and takes at least three to four months. The works are tendered at the end of the year into the new year.
These steps can take longer depending on other works that may be taking place. KCC aims to carry out works before trees come into leaf but this is not always possible due to the extent of works needed, resources, procurement requirements and availability of contractors. It is unusual for street trees to have nesting birds but in these cases contractors are instructed not to carry out works to the tree.
For a number of reasons including the availability of resources and contractors, It’s not always possible to facilitate the works being carried out outside of March 1 to August 31.