Can you please confirm that any tree that is classed as a street tree or on the highways, is managed by Devon County Council (DCC)?
As a Highway Authority, the Council is primarily responsible for highway trees maintainable at public expense. Some highway trees maintainable at public expense are street trees, which are trees on urban roads.
More information can be found on the Council’s webpages, here: Trees and vegetation.
Can you also please provide answers to the following questions;
1) Who does the general public contact to report a concern of a DCC managed tree (such as disease or risk)?
The public can report an overgrown, hazardous or fallen tree or branch via the Council’s webpages, here: Report a problem with a tree.
2) What is the size of the team that manages the trees of DCC – may I please have their contact details?
As well as a team of Council Officers who are focussed on Tree Safety Management, the size of which varies depending on workload, the Council has a Tree Management Framework Agreement with contractors that provide specialist inspection and surgery services.
Contact should be via the Council’s webpages for reports of an overgrown, hazardous or fallen tree or branch, here: Report a problem with a tree.
For other tree-related matters, the Customer Service Centre can be contacted by email or phone on csc.roads@devon.gov.uk or 0345 155 1004.
3) What is the tree strategy of the DCC – is there one?
The Council’s maintenance strategy for highway trees can be found in Annex 6 of the Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan, here: Annex 6 – Trees and Soft Landscape.
4) Do you work with 3rd parties?
The Council does not have a budget for tree planting so any planting that is not linked to planning or development consent is funded externally. The Council does bid for funding from external sources and an application to the Local Authority Treescapes Fund was made this year.
5) Are there any groups that work with the DCC for helping to plan street trees?
The Council is not currently working with any groups that are dedicated to planting street trees.