Managing the risk

There are a range of factors which are taken into account in the management of risk, these are summarised below. It should be emphasised that risk arising in respect of trees is not static and therefore the role of observations and assessments are key. With this in mind, it is important that the council adopts a dynamic approach to managing risk and should this management plan need to be updated to respond to issues arising from observations and assessments then this will be undertaken.

Health and safety

Death or injury from falling debris onto members of public or professionals working on such ash trees
Risk to statutory functions and service delivery such as retaining safe schools, public open space and highways
Risk of damage to private and public property as a result of falling ash

Potential economic impacts

  1. Increased liability in cases of death or injury
  2. Increased expenditure from direct and indirect costs eg additional spend addressing ADB could have impact on expenditure elsewhere within the organisation
  3. Increased tree work contractor prices as a result of market competition for a limited pool of skilled tree contractors
  4. Increased direct/indirect costs due to increased flood and soil erosion risk resulting from removed ash trees
  5. Financial costs of replanting needed to retain ecosystem services, provided by ash eg flood, urban shading, carbon storage, bio-diversity. The may be achieved at low/no cost through self -seeded regeneration of trees. This is thought to include a high proportion of the sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) Norway maple (Acer platanoides) and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) species.
  6. Increased liability from tree failure as a result of risks to adjacent land and other third party property

Reputational damage

  1. Potential for disruption as a result of ash dieback management (eg closure parts of parks/open spaces/woodlands/housing forecourts, roads etc during tree felling/surgery works.
  2. Political and reputational damage following negative press (for whatever reason) and the consequent public outrage and anxiety.
  3. Potentially strained relationships with private owners as tree maintenance costs increase

Negative environmental impacts

  • Visual landscape changes and consequent reduced amenity,
  • Loss to eco-system services such as a reduction in air quality, increased flooding, biodiversity losses, increased noise, reduced screening.
  • Reduced carbon storage and sequestration.
  • Reduced biodiversity from the decline of species largely or wholly dependent on ash

Because of the economic, reputational and environmental risks outlined above, ash dieback is included within the council's corporate risk register.

Time associated costs

There is a time resource demand as a result of:

  1. Identifying populations of ash and weighting the risk to persons and property,
  2. Identifying the most appropriate trees requiring remedial work,
  3. Organising and generating work orders to fell/prune trees,
  4. Liaising with fellow officers in the green spaces and housing teams and other relevant services beyond as well as Gloucestershire Highways, statutory undertakers, “friends of” groups etc.
  5. Significant volumes of site visits and follow up work re trees in council house property gardens (where there is a high proportion of ash trees).
  6. Liaison on matters relating to ash die-back with Wessex trees officer group (WTOG)

Actions required to address the above

  1. Stakeholders: appropriate Cheltenham borough council staff, Gloucestershire highways, Ubico managers, “Friends of” groups, ward and county councillors should all be made aware of the ADB plan for Cheltenham Borough Council controlled trees
  2. Public awareness of ash die-back and the associated risk will be made via the council’s website. There are a number of existing publications available to help this
  3. An ash tree related budgetary increase has been made available. This is kept under review and will be informed by ongoing observations and assessments. Should central government grants become available, the council will apply
  4. A tree surgery contractor who has specialist industrial tree felling machinery (timber harvester) and experience has been identified via the council’s procurement contracts, to make provision should larger areas of felling be required
  5. Where possible, dead trees will be left standing so as to reduce costs and reap maximum ecological reward. As such the decision of which trees to be felled will be made on a case by case basis
  6. Records of felling locations and associated details are retained
  7. Trees in “high target” locations will be prioritised for felling over trees in other areas