Agenda item

To provide an update on the ash dieback survey and treatment programme and on the team’s activities in general.

(i)             To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.⁠

(ii)            That the Committee consider prioritising the matter for scrutiny during 2025/26.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for Highways, Engineering and YGC, and the Assistant Head of the Department.

⁠Two errors were cited in the Report, correcting that 1550 high-risk trees had been felled or pruned to date compared to the figure of 710 trees as set out in paragraph 3.4 of the Report. It was further noted that second-hand evidence suggested that ash dieback disease posed less risk as time went by, in relation to the information presented at the beginning of paragraph 5.1 of the Report.

It was explained that ash dieback disease had spread to Wales since a number of years, and it had been estimated that 80% of ash trees would be adversely affected by it. It was confirmed that a team had been established in the department to deal with the challenges it caused. It was emphasised that responding to the disease was a priority on the Council's corporate risk register. It was detailed that the Council had funded an initial inspection in 2020 to see the impact of the disease in the area on the Council's tree stock.  It was acknowledged that there was a high risk as many trees had already been infected. As a result, a dedicated specialist team had been appointed to investigate the infection on the Council's roads and land.

It was reported that one of the main roles of the team was to carry out checks of the Council's tree stock on the County's roads and land. It was noted that the team carried out this work itself on occasion but also used specialist inspectors to ensure that all areas received inspections in a timely manner, emphasising that no external inspectors took action on infected trees. This was confirmed as the arrangement because the Department was responsible for approximately 3,000km of roads as well as other lands. It was explained in detail that the Department had developed a prioritisation system for carrying out inspections ensuring that the highest priority was given to ash trees that were near schools, roads, cemeteries, parks and similar locations. The team was noted as being responsible for dealing with the trees if inspections identified them as infected. It was confirmed that these would be put on the team's programme of work ensuring that the most serious cases were prioritised.

An update was shared that the Department had commissioned Gwynedd Consultancy to develop the use of drones to carry out inspections, as they could work at a much greater range than workers on foot. It was noted that results were currently very satisfactory and the hope was that this would be a method that would be used consistently to carry out tree inspections. It was elaborated that the team had been in contact with Coleg Glynllifon and pupils there had been trained at the same time as the team on the new technological methods of inspecting for the infection.

It was emphasised that the department did not fell the trees once they were infected. It was reported that the team tried to save as much as possible by pruning them sufficiently so that they were safe for the public and did not affect species. It was ensured that new trees were planted for every tree the team cut down.

Assurance was given that more than 23,000 trees had now been inspected by the team and of those, 8,000 had been identified as high-risk trees due to the infection. ⁠It was elaborated that 1,550 of these had already received treatment and that 30 trees on school grounds had been found to be in extremely poor condition and immediately received intervention.

⁠It was mentioned that the team also assisted other Council officers on tree-related matters. It was discussed that the number of cases increased as time went on and put pressure on the team. They added that the team collaborated with the Environment department and assisted it within its role with the Gwynedd Nature Partnership.

Second-hand evidence from other Local Authorities was considered to suggest that the disease declined in areas after a period of time. It was emphasised, however, that it was second-hand evidence and there was no evidence to support this view. It was noted that the situation in Gwynedd showed that the disease still existed here and that the team had work to do over a number of years to control it.

It was confirmed that landowners were responsible for maintaining trees growing on their land and had a duty of care to ensure they did not pose a threat to people or property. It was explained that the team had identified 700 high-risk trees originating from private land and had powers under the Highways Act 1980 and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 to approach landowners to make dangerous trees safe. However, it was acknowledged that the team had not yet had the opportunity to approach these landowners due to inadequate resources.

It was acknowledged that the team relied on contractors to dispose of trees that had been felled due to the infection. It was considered that the trees would be better used as assets for the Council and considerations had been shared with partnerships to dry the wood so that it could be used in the future on various projects. ⁠However, it was confirmed that the expertise did not currently exist in the Council and any future developments in this area would be reported to the Committee.

It was explained that the Council had had a Tree Management Policy for a number of years but it had now become dated. It was confirmed that a working group had been established, with the Department and the team taking a leading role, to look into the policy and update it as necessary. It was hoped that the revised policy would be operational within the current year but it was stressed that the approval of other Council departments such as the Education and Housing and Property departments was necessary for it to be operational, as it affected their lands. It was elaborated that statutory requirements stipulated the need to inspect high-risk trees every two years and therefore it was recognised that this would be a challenge for the team. It was confirmed that the team would have further conversations with the Department to produce a bid for funding to assist with these requirements while a new policy was developed to identify the best way forward.

Reference was made to some of the other challenges facing the team. It was noted that communication with other local authorities was helpful but the team was not currently receiving guidance from this as Cyngor Gwynedd was at the forefront in dealing with the disease. Reference was made to the challenges that could arise when inspecting trees such as that inspections can only be carried out between May and September annually as that was when trees were in leaf.

⁠It was noted that the Department had initiated discussions with other Council departments to receive input on setting up a 'one-stop shop' where all tree queries were dealt with by one team. It was explained that this stemmed from the fact that departments' expertise about trees varied from one department to the next and therefore centralising that expertise would facilitate solutions to future enquiries. It was explained that initial discussions had taken place to date, and updates would be submitted to the Committee if the scheme went ahead.

It was emphasised that the disease was a major challenge within the County, as the inspections carried out by the team were those affecting the public or Council land, noting that there was a possibility that the disease could also be found on private land. At the end of the discussion, the Cabinet Member asked the Committee to consider scheduling an update on the issue in 2025-26.

The members expressed their thanks for the report.

RESOLVED

(i)                  To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.⁠

(ii)           That the Committee considers prioritising the matter for scrutiny during 2025/26.