Trees in conservation area

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Trees in conservation area
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VM

Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 1748
Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Mon Mar 11, 13 7:19 pm Post subject: Trees in conservation area

Whoops!

Further to my posts on leylandii and tree identification - just rang someone about getting all the bits of cut down leylandii shredded and he said, "You're in a conservation area so did you get permission to cut them down?"

I did know that we are in a conservation area, but only knew it had implications for things we do to the house, not to things in our back garden.

I've looked at stuff on local council website about what trees you can do things to without permission in conservation area - e.g. pruning fruit trees, felling trees less than 7.5 cm diameter.

BUT can't get any definite sense of whether or not leylandii hedge counts as something we could be in trouble over. We discussed with three neighbours with gardens bordering the hedge and all were delighted at prospect of it going, but didn't occur to me I'd have to talk to council.

Some council websites say it's a hedge not a tree and will never be subject to a TPO - others, e.g. in Cornwall, say otherwise.

So what do you think?

Also, we'll obviously have to think again about other trees we might want to cut down, as discussed in tree identification thread.

I am not anti-tree, by the way - v much the opposite. Just would like some choice as to what tree in what location - but I suppose if everyone had that choice then trees would never get very old!

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Mon Mar 11, 13 8:48 pm Post subject: Re: Trees in conservation area

VM wrote:

So what do you think?

I think the press could have a field day if you did get prosecuted over it.

Quote:

Also, we'll obviously have to think again about other trees we might want to cut down, as discussed in tree identification thread.

If, as suggested your aim was to coppice, then that is active management, so I doubt they would refuse permission.
IIRC, none of them were particularly significant, so I doubt they'd refuse permission anyway.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Mon Mar 11, 13 9:29 pm Post subject:
Ask what the rules are re. what is and isn't protected. We used to live in a conservation area and had a Leyland as a tree in the back garden. The chap from the council popped round and said: yup: take it out. I suspect you'll have no problem.

lorrayne

Joined: 17 Dec 2004
Posts: 239
Location: Hampshire

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 13 1:32 pm Post subject:
Telephone your council- the information you require should be held there and easliy accessible, I had a tree surgeon here last week, told him what I wanted down, he rang the council, spoke to someone they checked their register and luckily enough we were good to go ahead, all was sorted in a matter of minutes. L

gray_b

Joined: 24 Jun 2011
Posts: 251
Location: Leafy Shires of the Midlands

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 13 7:59 pm Post subject:

Be very wary of the council and tpo's.

I had a prospective job to cut down a large Atlas Cedar tree. I checked with the council who confirmed that no TPO existed and that it was not in a conservation area.

My problem was I could not start the job for 2 weeks. In the meantime the council had come out and checked on the tree, and then slapped a TPO on it.

Ironically had the owners have been on holiday, I would not have known, (as the notification letter was sent to the owners house), and it would have been cut down.

The owners then had to go thru the planning application route. Which in the end was refused.

numberwang

Joined: 06 Jun 2009
Posts: 25
Location: South Wales

Posted: Sat Mar 16, 13 9:56 pm Post subject:
Would be interested to know if there is generally any protection for mature trees (not in conservation area)? Small woodland in small village I live in got felled over a couple of days found out after owners applying for planning for houses.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sat Mar 16, 13 11:18 pm Post subject:

numberwang wrote:

Would be interested to know if there is generally any protection for mature trees (not in conservation area)?

No. But you can apply for a TPO to be put on one.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Mar 17, 13 7:36 am Post subject:

numberwang wrote:

Would be interested to know if there is generally any protection for mature trees (not in conservation area)?

Small woodland in small village I live in got felled over a couple of days

found out after owners applying for planning for houses.

As HL says, some of the trees may have had a TPO or the council could put them on if requested - hence people felling trees before putting in plans. (Mind you, it seems everyone is lobbying for more houses to be built these days so does it matter if a few trees get cut down?)

If it is a woodland then they may be felling restrictions. A felling license may have been required and that normally has replanting requirements AFAIK.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sun Mar 17, 13 12:06 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

If it is a woodland then they may be felling restrictions. A felling license may have been required...

Yes. A felling license is normally required for felling in a woodland unless the trees are small or total felling is less than 5 cubic metres per calendar quatre... (think it's 5 anyway).

numberwang

Joined: 06 Jun 2009
Posts: 25
Location: South Wales

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 13 2:02 pm Post subject:
Thanks, spoke to a neighbour & looks like they tried to get the woodland protected by council but it was self-seeded/apparently trees not interesting enough to protect. Although small it was the only woodland in 2 mile radius (pretty windswept here!) & had loads of wildlife - bats, birds, resident fox. Seems sad one person's greed has destroyed it forever!

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 13 3:51 pm Post subject:

numberwang wrote:

Thanks, spoke to a neighbour & looks like they tried to get the woodland protected by council but it was self-seeded/apparently trees not interesting enough to protect.

Probably largely sycamore. They get an undeserved bad press. They support a greater biomass for their size than any other in this country.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 13 5:43 pm Post subject:

Hairyloon wrote:

numberwang wrote:

Thanks, spoke to a neighbour & looks like they tried to get the woodland protected by council but it was self-seeded/apparently trees not interesting enough to protect.

Probably largely sycamore. They get an undeserved bad press. They support a greater biomass for their size than any other in this country.

I've read that they aren't as bad as some would have us believe. Do you know where you read the bit about the biomass?

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 13 7:20 pm Post subject:

Hairyloon wrote:

numberwang wrote:

Thanks, spoke to a neighbour & looks like they tried to get the woodland protected by council but it was self-seeded/apparently trees not interesting enough to protect.

Probably largely sycamore. They get an undeserved bad press. They support a greater biomass for their size than any other in this country.

I didn't think felling license or preservation orders took much account of the type of tree, size perhaps.

If the land is really important to the local area then I would have thought enough money could be raised to buy the land for the community?

As for sycamore I've always liked it but there's some downsides that are not often mentioned that would make me think twice about planting it.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 13 8:37 pm Post subject:
Such as Treac? I know they reseed like buggery and put their leaves out earlier than other trees, but the idea that they stop bluebells flowering seems to have been disproven. They get nasty black spots on their leaves in Autumn. What else? Some people seem to want us to take them all out on the commons which isn't feasible, but it's good to know all sides of the argument.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 13 8:45 pm Post subject:

I was speaking to a forestry adviser a few years back and he had a theory that large numbers of sycamores will encourage/sustain large numbers of grey squirrels. It was just an unproven theory but seems plausible to me with my experiences. I gather the idea behind it is sycamore provides food at important times of year such as spring.

Having had a huge one in our old garden I know they do shade out many plants, suck moisture out of the soil, drip honeydew everywhere (well their aphids do) and spread like weeds but the wood is very useful for a reasonably fast growing tree.

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