1. For each financial year, from 2019-20 to 2023-24, please provide:
• The number of trees planted by the council, its contractors and/or other organisations funded by the council
The Council currently has a major tree planting project in place as part of the Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP) and since the project commenced in September 2021, over 46k trees have been planted across the Borough on Public Open Spaces, Country Parks, School Sites, Town and Parish Owned Sites and Private land. It is important to remember that this figure is solely in relation to new tree planting that has been carried out in relation to the CEAP project and does not relate to any trees planted through a requirement of planning applications. The trees planted as part of this project are being monitored and supported during their establishment through funding that the Council has in place from the Woodland Trust. Prior to the CEAP project commencing, WBC do not have tree planting figures so are unable to provide a figure for 2019-2020.
• The number of trees removed by those listed above
In 2023, the Council’s Tree Management team implemented an asset management system which helps to record this data. Prior to the system implementation we are unable to provide data on number of trees felled however, since 2023 the number of trees felled on instruction by the Councils Tree Management team due to essential health and safety requirements is 42 (please attached report confirming species and Ward).
• The number of trees removed after Tree Preservation Orders for those trees were lifted
Our Trees and Landscape specialist is pretty sure the number is zero. We don’t prioritise removal of TPOs and the last TPO that someone removed and which then resulted in the tree removal was at Sonning Golf Club about nine or ten years ago.
All of this information is held on our digital mapping system which forms part of the TPO Register and our register of planning (tree works) applications. The WBC protected tree map is here: Protected Tree Map and applications can be found on our planning enquiries website here: Planning Applications.
• The number of trees removed after Tree Preservation Orders for those trees were lifted that were the subject of subsidence claims.
The answer to this is zero. We never lift (rescind) TPOs involved in subsidence claims. We might approve the removal of the tree, but we never rescind the TPO. We often then require replacement planting either further away or of a different, less thirsty species. We could not require replacement planting if we have rescinded the TPO.
All of this information is held on our digital mapping system which forms part of the TPO Register and our register of planning (tree works) applications. The WBC protected tree map is here: Protected Tree Map and applications can be found on our planning enquiries website here: Planning Applications.