Issue - meetings

This report is to advise the Committee of the current practice of tree safety management on Epsom Downs. It sets out the threats posed by Ash Dieback Disease and provides a preliminary assessment of the scale of the disease identified during arboricultural surveys, together with the costs for a programme of tree safety work centred around the initial control of this disease.  The Committee is asked to recognise that Ash dieback works will need to be carried out, set aside funds for the works identified as high priority, and consider formation of a working panel to undertake the works and explore replanting options. 

The Conservators received a report advising them of the current practice of tree safety management on Epsom Downs. It set out the threats posed by Ash Dieback Disease and provided a preliminary assessment of the scale of the disease identified during arboricultural surveys, together with the costs for a programme of tree safety work centred around the initial control of this disease.  The Conservators were asked to recognise that Ash dieback works would need to be carried out, and to set aside funds for the works identified as high priority and consider formation of a working panel to undertake the works and explore replanting options. 

The following matters were considered:

a)            Tree Management Funds. A Member of the Conservators raised that due to the nature of the issue, there would be similar requests for money to manage Ash Tree removal over the coming years and it might be more productive to put money aside to deal with these en masse now rather than dealing with a small amount and continuing to further diminish the reserves of the Conservators. The Chair responded to highlight that 26 high priority trees would be dealt with now if the requested budget of £17,000 was approved. This was in line with the Council’s risk-based approach and the Chair confirmed that there would be similar requests for funds in future years to deal with the current medium and low priority trees, as there was not sufficient budget to deal with all high, medium, and low priority trees at once.

b)           Replenishing reserves. A Member raised that at some point all precepting members of the Conservators would need to increase their financial contribution in order to replenish the Conservators’ reserves and to enable the continued management of issues such as Ash Dieback control. The Chair expressed agreement with the comments.

Following consideration, the Conservators unanimously resolved to:

(1)      Recognise that Ash Dieback works will need to be carried out on Epsom Downs as the disease progresses.

(2)      Confirm that they wished to instruct Officers to form a working panel with representatives from the Downs Keepers, Operational Services (Street Care Manager), Tree Officer and Countryside Officer to formulate a logistical plan to manage Ash Dieback on Epsom Downs, prioritising work that will need to be carried out this summer/autumn.

(3)      Set aside £17,000 to be taken from reserves in addition to existing tree maintenance budgets to fund these works.

(4)      Consider the funding of a future tree planting plan produced by the working panel to help restore the landscape and biodiversity, subject to receipt of grant aid. 

(5)      Recognise that there will need to be additional programmes of Ash tree removal as the disease progresses and request a report be prepared for the November meeting to consider future funding and tree management.