Countryside campaigners CPRE [1] are today (Wednesday) urging the British Standards Institution (BSI) to change their plans for guidelines on tree safety. [2] 

‘The BSI has generated anxiety and confusion with proposals which could threaten the future of trees valued for their public amenity,’ said Tom Oliver, Head of Rural Policy at CPRE. 

‘There is a real risk that members of the public will worry about costs and liabilities arising from trees in their gardens near public rights of way, pavements or other houses. They may be encouraged to take unnecessary pre-emptive action and fell trees to avoid inspection costs and liabilities,’ Tom Oliver continued.

CPRE is concerned that the loss to the quality of towns and villages as well as the immediate surroundings of public rights of way could be severe for reasons that are avoidable.

‘The BSI should act swiftly to dispel these fears and prevent the unnecessary loss of trees,’ Tom Oliver continued.

Neither the Health and Safety Executive nor the Government’s independent advisers on risk support the proposals. [3]  The BSI has also acted before knowing the conclusions of important research due to be commissioned by the Tree Safety Group. [4]

‘Public safety is vital, but great care needs to be taken to avoid unnecessary actions which would damage the character of our towns and villages, their resilience to extreme weather and the wildlife and heritage associated with them. It is encouraging that, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn MP, seems to agree,’ Tom Oliver concluded. [5]

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk

2.  The draft guidelines BS 8516 Recommendations for Tree Safety Inspection can be viewed on the BSI website (you will need to register first): http://drafts.bsigroup.com/?d=127  The consultation closes on 31 July 2008.

Summary of proposals:
• All trees should have a ‘walk by’ inspection by their owners at least once a year, followed by a ‘trained person’ tree inspection every three years and an expert inspection every 5 years.  The guidelines are not clear whether this is only in places where there is public access and the three and five year inspections could have cost implications for the tree owner;
• The details of each inspection should be recorded in varying detail for each time band. 

3. Both the Health and Safety Executive and the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council have condemned the BSI proposals:  http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46699.pdf  Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for Environment supported this view in a speech on the natural environment on 21 July 2008 and said ‘or planting more trees in our streets – and celebrating them as the green lungs they are rather than inspecting them as health and safety hazards’.

4. The Tree Safety Group recently held a stakeholder conference about ‘Tree Management for Public Safety’ and a research project is due to commence.  http://www.treeworks.co.uk/blog/index.php/2008/06/08/the-tree-safety-group-tree-management-for-public-safety/ 

5.  The Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn, gave a speech on the natural environment on 21 July 2008, on the tree safety inspections he said:

‘There is one other thing we must value too. And that is the means by which we can do all this – and more. The things which cannot be achieved by Government alone.

Whether it is a thriving, environmentally sustainable farming industry, or more parks, and woodlands and forests, or creating marine conservation zones, or more children having the chance to visit farms or national parks to learn about the natural world, or every family having a pleasant green space to exercise in and enjoy, or planning decisions taken with sustainability in mind, or planting more trees in our streets – and celebrating them as the green lungs they are rather than inspecting them as health and safety hazards – we depend on one another.’ [our emphasis]