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Mon, 20 May 2024 19:38:33 GMT

Managing the risk of trees on school grounds

Trees can pose risks to students and staff on school grounds. Each year, falling trees and branches cause fatalities, with five to six deaths annually. The tragic death of Ella Henderson at Gosforth Park First School on September 25, 2020, has highlighted the importance of managing these risks effectively. To prevent such incidents, schools must take proactive measures to ensure the safety of their trees.

Key Steps for Managing Tree Risks

Conduct Regular Inspections

Regular inspections are crucial to identifying potential hazards early and managing them appropriately. Early detection of danger signs can prevent accidents.

Maintain Trees

Regular maintenance of trees reduces the likelihood of them becoming health and safety issues. Well-maintained trees are less prone to disease and structural problems.

Prompt Removal of Hazardous Trees

If a tree poses an immediate risk, it should be removed as soon as possible. Quick action is essential once a threat is identified to prevent potential accidents.

Education

Educate children about the dangers and benefits of trees. Ensure they understand the importance of not approaching trees that could be hazardous and the reasons behind these safety measures.

Conduct Regular Tree Risk Assessments

Regular risk assessments help schools create a safety plan for their trees and prepare for worst-case scenarios. Follow these steps:

Tree Risk Assessment Process

Hazard Assessment

A competent person should conduct the hazard assessment. This person is responsible for identifying tree locations, assessing hazards accurately, and recording findings.

Risk Assessment

Given the high-risk nature of educational sites, risk assessments should be conducted every one to two years. This involves a careful inspection for obvious defects, particularly in the tree's crown and base. Trees identified as high or medium risk should be recorded and plotted on a site plan. Trees that appear sound during inspection do not require a documented record.

Propose Remedial Action

Only a competent person can prescribe remedial actions. These actions should be based on the hazard and risk assessments, with proposals and priorities clearly recorded for specialists to follow.

By following these steps, schools can better manage the risks posed by trees, ensuring the safety of students and staff while maintaining the benefits that trees provide to the school environment

Mon, 20 May 2024 15:40:11 GMT

What is a Home Buyers Tree Survey and Report?

A pre-purchase tree survey, also known as a Home Buyers Tree Survey or pre-purchase tree report, evaluates the risk of property damage from nearby trees and their roots. This survey is often required when buying or re-mortgaging a home with trees on the property. Sometimes referred to as a Subsidence Risk Assessment tree survey, we provide these arboricultural reports for lenders, insurers, homeowners, and buyers. This cost-effective service helps prospective home buyers identify any tree-related issues quickly.

Our pre-purchase/home buyers’ tree survey includes three key services:

Underground Risk Assessment

This assessment, suitable for lenders and insurers, covers all trees potentially affecting the property and offers vegetation management advice to mitigate root-related damage risks. Our consultant will evaluate factors such as tree species, NHBC water demand classification, tree height, and canopy size. You will receive management recommendations to alleviate any identified risks.

Above Ground Risk Assessment

This assessment covers all trees within the property boundary, recommending measures to reduce the risk of structural failure in trees and branches. Our consultant will inspect each tree’s physiological and structural condition, including the trunk, stem base, scaffold branches, and branch junctions, for defects, disease, or decay symptoms that might compromise the tree structurally. This ensures compliance with the Occupiers Liability Act 1984 by minimizing risks posed by trees to the public.

Tree Protection Status Query

Upon request, we will liaise with the local authority to determine the protection status of any trees on the property and whether it is within a conservation area. This aids in management recommendations if needed. If a tree is protected, you must apply to the local authority for permission before any pruning or tree work. Unauthorized work on a protected tree can result in substantial fines.

For trees within a conservation area, a notice of intent must be submitted before undertaking any work.

Mon, 20 May 2024 15:25:44 GMT

This February, Biodiversity Net Gain became mandatory in England.

Following the Environment Act 2021, a new mandate was introduced such that new developments requiring planning permission in England must deliver an overall biodiversity gain. After some months of delay, the date for mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (or BNG) was finally announced in January 2024. The date of 12th February applies to new planning applications for most major developments. BNG will apply to further development types later in the year. Small sites will require a mandatory gain from April, whilst Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) will require mandatory gain from November. A few developments including high-speed rail and very small and householder projects are exempt from BNG regulations.

To deliver a biodiversity gain, nature must be left in a measurably better state than it was before development. Developers and their teams must identify, map and assess the condition of habitats, as a baseline, within the site footprint. They must quantify potential habitat losses and produce plans and design options accordingly. Finally, they must submit a biodiversity gain plan to demonstrate how they will create or enhance habitats to offset any losses. Ideally, habitat creation and enhancement occur on-site, but offsite arrangements are permissible too.

Interestingly, the main tool to implement BNG uses area cover of habitat (in hectares) as the proxy measure for biodiversity. This official, statutory metric (called the Biodiversity Metric) must be used to account for all existing habitats and to calculate the value of the habitats that will be created or enhanced. All of this is measured as ‘biodiversity units’, and a 10% gain of units is the minimum requirement.

There are several factors and multipliers involved in calculating the biodiversity units that a site will lose or gain, including the condition of habitats – existing and proposed – and their local strategic significance. Habitat distinctiveness is also accounted for and is intended to highlight unique species assemblages and distinguishing features. For example, wood pasture and parkland scores higher in distinctiveness compared to other types of woodland. As before BNG, ancient woodland and ancient and veteran trees are treated as irreplaceable habitats. These need to be recorded in the Biodiversity Metric, but any loss or deterioration through development requires bespoke compensation – you cannot achieve a net gain through damage to the most valuable.

Individual trees, hedgerows and treed habitats will all be captured in the Biodiversity Metric. Arboriculturists conducting surveys should be aware of how trees are recorded and valued by this tool, which is focused on value for nature. It is, of course, great to recognise biodiversity benefits of trees but this is additional to amenity and other environmental benefits that tree professionals will also be thinking about. Further, it is important to understand how losses of existing trees will require not just replacement, but even more and better-quality habitat.

Guidance states that a ‘competent person’ should complete the Metric calculations and produce a biodiversity gain plan. Depending on the project, arboriculturists may need to work more closely with ecologists to achieve the best outcomes through BNG. Regardless, it is the task for arboriculture to ensure trees are properly assessed, valued and protected in the planning system.

The Association is currently looking into training needs for the industry and hopes to offer something soon, so watch this space. To find the collection of guidance from government, visit the website: www.gov.uk/guidance/biodiversity-net-gain