You may have heard the sad news that six of the 86 trees along a road in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, are being cut down. The row of trees is famous for featuring as the Dark Hedges in the Game of Thrones TV series.
A recent survey of all 86 trees along the road identified 11 as being hazardous and in poor condition; of those 11, six are to be felled, four are to have remedial works carried out, and one is to be re-assessed onsite. These trees are over 200 years old, planted along the road at its inception in 1775.
Removing trees is usually a last resort and comes about when they pose a high risk of causing harm to road users or other targets due to their poor condition, which cannot be remediated. It's your responsibility as a landowner to ensure your trees are kept in reasonable condition; usually, the sooner action is taken to remedy any potential risks, the less drastic the work needs to be done.
If you're a landowner with ancient trees on site, here are our top tips for helping to ensure your trees stay in tip-top condition.
🌳 Landowners must be fully aware of their responsibilities in law where they have trees onsite (be there public access or not) and the repercussions that may occur should a failure or incident happen.
🌳 Put in place a management plan for the trees, with plans for inspections, regular maintenance and remedial works.
🌳 Regular tree condition surveys. Having a good idea of how your trees are growing and any potential issues to be aware of ensures you can mitigate the risk of harm and prolong the tree’s life as much as possible.
🌳 Have a robust replanting scheme that can reduce the impact of future losses. Ensure you think about the type of ecosystem and biodiversity that the site currently has and how it could be improved.
🌳 Make sure that they are using a fully accredited surveyor or consultant and be prepared to implement any recommendations made, again, using a fully accredited company to carry out any works.
Of course, we have a full Arboricultural Consultancy team who can support you in this area. You can contact the team below with your questions or requirements.
