Athlone-Moate councillors push for removal of hazardous trees before winter

A renewed push for the removal of hazardous roadside trees was brought forward at the latest meeting of the Athlone-Moate Municipal District, with Cllr Liam McDaniel calling for immediate action ahead of the winter season.

Raising the motion at the meeting, Cllr McDaniel requested that “the owners of dangerous-looking or diseased roadside trees within the District be contacted immediately to have them cut down and removed before Autumn/Winter.”

The motion received unanimous support from fellow councillors and prompted a lively discussion on tree safety, storm preparedness, and landowner responsibility.

“We should be trying to identify any dangerous trees and get ahead of next winter when the storms are coming,” said Cllr McDaniel.

The council executive responded that “landowners are responsible for the trees and hedges which are on their property/land and beside the road. To ensure that landowners are aware of their responsibilities the Department of Transport and the Tree Council of Ireland jointly published A Guide for Landowners to Manage Roadside Trees.

"The District does not have the resources to audit the entire network in the District and relies on landowners to fulfil their obligations. Notwithstanding, the District regularly identifies issues of dangerous trees on our network and issues letters to landowners when imminent safety concerns are identified."

Cllr Tom Farrell proposed the implementation of a dedicated Tree Week campaign, to inform people about the dangers of diseased trees, and to teach landowners about their responsibilities.

He added: "In the last storm, over 80% of ESB outages were caused by fallen trees. It is a serious danger."

Cllr Johnny Penrose suggested that all roadside trees should be eliminated.

"Every tree along the road is dangerous," he said. "It's a big task, but anything that can save a life is worth doing."

In response, District Engineer, Willie Ryan, directed attention towards the document A Guide for Landowners to Managing Roadside Trees.

The document reads: "Under common law, we all owe a duty of care to those who might reasonably be expected to be affected by our actions or omissions. The trees on your land are your property and as a landowner you are responsible for their care.

"Land ownership normally extends to the centre of the road; therefore, it is the landowner - not the local authority – who is responsible for the trees and hedges beside the road." Mr Ryan added: "We do send hedge cutting notices if we identify a dangerous tree. There is the potential of fines or time behind bars if hedge notices are not dealt with properly."

Director of Services Jackie Finney agreed that while information about tree care and responsibility is sent out every September, the idea of a dedicated Tree Week campaign is worth being considered.