Marino Tree Inventory & Management Plan DRAFT

Transcription

1 Marino Tree Inventory & Management Plan DRAFT 2016 Mission Statement: Marino will protect, replace and enhance our urban forest to ensure the economic, environmental, cultural and social benefits of a healthy and vibrant ecosystem for our future generations trees@marino.ie

2 Contents Introduction 3 Marino s Urban Forest 3 Context 4 Key Players 5 Mission Statement: 5 Marino Tree Inventory 6 Key Findings 6 Tree Inventory Data Sheet 7 Marino Tree Management Plan 8 Tree Maintenance Needs 8 Trimming 8 Felling & Replacement 9 Planting 9 Tree species selection and quality control - input from the community 9 Netting 9 Community Involvement 10 Appendix A 11 Appendix B 13 Tree Inventory & Management Plan Page 2 of 13

3 Introduction Marino s Urban Forest Marino s character owes much to its trees. Our green infrastructure helps to create the ambiance that provides for a high quality of life for our residents. There are approximately 750 trees in our greens and streets that make up the neighbourhood s urban forest. The Garden City movement which inspired Marino recognised the long term economic and social value of trees. The importance of trees to the residents of Marino was highlighted in the Fairview Marino Local Environment Improvement Plan , published by Dublin City Council. Trees and flowers were one of the features that residents most liked about the area. Roadside urban trees provide important benefits. Economic Benefits Street trees improve property prices. Areas with trees are more attractive to potential residents. Areas without trees are more likely to have derelict and vacant land. Trees show a history of care and social stability. Nicer neighbourhoods have nice trees. Wildlife and biodiversity Benefits Pollination - urban bees travel among fruit plant blossoms transferring pollen along the way. Bird allure - songbirds prefer to perch and build nests in fruit tree branches and feed on insects living there. Health Benefits Trees are an important filter of particulate pollution especially for people with respiratory problems such as the elderly and those with asthma. Patients with views of trees out their windows heal faster and with less complications. Trees reduce road noise by acting as an acoustic barrier. Aesthetic Benefits Trees look nice! Tree Inventory & Management Plan Page 3 of 13

4 Context Following representations by public representatives and some members of the public over a number of years regarding inconvenience associated with the impact of fruiting in Autumn in the Marino Area, motion 4993 of the North Central Area Committee December 2015 meeting was debated Motion in the name of Councillor Deirdre Heney In consideration of the number of complaints from local residents about the damage the fruit trees on St. Declan s Road have caused them and their property and following the accident experienced by an elderly lady who fell down and broke her pelvis on October 15th last, and the number of motor vehicles that are being damaged as a result of fruit falling onto them, this area committee calls on the manager to remove the unsuitable fruit trees once and for all and replace them with a more suitable non-fruit bearing variety. Order: Agreed As a result of this motion, Parks and Landscape Services examined the roadside trees in Marino and proposed the removal of 47 trees to take place during They estimate that 220 of 447 total number of roadside trees on the 28 streets and roadways at the Marino Estate are ornamental pear. The removal of the 47 trees forms approximately 21% of the overall number of ornamental pear at this estate and 10.5 % of the overall numbers of roadside trees currently present. See Appendix A for a list of the trees to be felled. The Marino Residents Association was made aware of this decision when it was communicted by local representatives (Finian McGrath, Sean Haughey and Deirdre Heney) in their respective newsletters. On 26 Feb, Dublin City Council (DCC) postponed their tree felling plan to to allow the public representatives to be made aware of the extent of objection to the proposal locally and to reassess the outcome of the previous debate and reporting at the North Central Area Committee meetings. A meeting of the Residents Association and interested parties was held on 1 March Key issues raised during this meeting included : There is no proper plan in place for the trees of Marino. The fallen fruit issue is in relation to ornamental pears. The 47 trees in the tree felling plan include non pear specimens. Fallen fruit is causing distress to many residents of Marino due to damage to cars and other property; and danger to children and the elderly. An assessment of the impact of the result of the proposed tree removal plan is not planned for until after the trees are removed. There is no clear follow up for tree replacement or proper plan in place. However, DCC suggest consideration of possible planting of alternative species, subject to site limitations to be undertaken following the impact assessment. An increase in pruning and street cleaning last Autumn had a positive impact. The propsosal does not address broader street cleaning issues. The proposal is contrary to the City s own Development Plan (GCO 10-16). Tree Inventory & Management Plan Page 4 of 13

5 Removing trees destroys a valuable public asset which takes decades to replace and betrays generational solidarity with our children. Residents were not directly consulted and the proposal does not have broad community support. The proposal sets a very dangerous precedent for environmental complaint. Other options to deal with the fruit issues have not been fully explored, including: o Use of nets to prevent fruit landing on the streets o Encourage participation from voluntary groups in fruit collection o Encourage the use of fruit in pear cider / wine making locally o Encourage the use of fruit by horse owners / other animal owners A ten year tree inventory and management plan is needed to prepare for the centenery of the Estate which is happening in a few years time. The key outcome from the meeting was agreement that a tree inventory and management plan is needed for Marino. It was agreed to draft a plan and inventory to present to the Tree Officer and Dublin City Council at a meeting in March. This document is the result of that agreement. Key Players Marino Residents Association Residents of Marino Dublin City Council Parks Department Dublin City Council Tree Officer Public Representatives Councillors Utility Providers Dublin Bus Mission Statement: Marino will protect, replace and enhance our urban forest to ensure the economic, environmental, cultural and social benefits of a healthy and vibrant ecosystem for our future generations Tree Inventory & Management Plan Page 5 of 13

6 Marino Tree Inventory Key Findings The tree inventory data collection was a community effort undertaken in March Volenteers who live in Marino photographed and logged 305 trees using the Fulcrum app ( The below is an analysis of the data recorded. The full tree inventory can be found in Appendix B. [Note: trial version of the app allows data dump on first 100 records only] Area Map Can we get this map colour coded by species? Tree Inventory & Management Plan Page 6 of 13

7 Species Breakdown [dummy figures - placeholder only] Pear (Pyrus Regelii) Apple (Malus) Hornbeam (Carpinus) Birch Cherry Unknown Condition assessment [dummy figures - placeholder only] Good Fair Poor Dead 200 Hazard Missing Average # trees per meter of path [to be calculated] Tree Inventory Data Sheet [Present excel data dump from Fulcrum] Tree Inventory & Management Plan Page 7 of 13

8 Marino Tree Management Plan The tree management plan will encompass not only trees already planted throughout the estate, but identify spaces in the area where more trees are needed as there are currently sections of road that are very bare. It is hoped that the outcome of this management plan will enable residents in Marino to search online for a tree near them, or proposed tree location, and find out its condition, as well as the plans that are in place for that specific tree / proposed tree. This includes pruning, maintanence, removal, and replacement plans. Tree Maintenance Needs Guidance required Cooperation and coordination with Road Maintenance Services required. Maintenance needs for each tree should be determined to provide a basis to accurately budget for future maintenance activities. Definitions of the maintenance categories used are given below. Maintenance Requirement Category Clearance Needs Priority One Tree Removal Priority Two Tree Removal Priority One Prune Priority Two Prune Large Tree Routine Prune Small Tree Routine Prune Description This category includes trees requiring pruning to clear areas that have become obstructed to pedestrian or vehicular traffic. Sign Clearance includes all street trees obstructing traffic control signs or stop signs. Trees designated for removal has structural defects that cannot be cost effectively or practically treated. The majority of the trees in this category has a large percentage of dead crown, significant decay or other structural problems, and are potential safety hazards. Large dead and dying trees that are high liability risks are included in this category. These trees are the first ones that should be removed. Trees that should be removed but do not pose a liability as great as the firs t priority were identified in this category. Trees that require priority one pruning are recommended for trimming to remove hazardous deadwood, hangers or broken branches. These trees have broken or hanging limbs, hazardous deadwood and dead, dying, or diseased limbs or leaders greater than four inches in diameter. These trees have dead, dying, diseased or weakened branches between two and four inches in diameter and are potential safety hazards. These trees require routine horticultural pruning to correct structural problems or growth patterns that would eventually obstruct traffic or interfere with utility wires or buildings. Trees in this category are large enough to require bucket truck access or manual climbing. These trees require routine horticultural pruning to correct structural problems or growth patterns that would eventually obstruct traffic or interfere with utility wires or buildings. These trees are small growing, mature trees that can be evaluated and pruned from the ground Trimming Schedule to be developed - Guidance required The trimming of the ornamental pear trees made a big difference to fruit fall when this was understaken last year. In order to help with this problem, continued trimming needs to be done on ornamental pear trees throughout the estate. Tree Inventory & Management Plan Page 8 of 13

9 Felling & Replacement Schedule to be developed - Guidance required If felling is required, a new mature tree will be planted in its place, as per below planting requirements. In order to keep the number of trees in Marino increasing, trees should be planted in areas of the street that have no existing trees, instead of leaving an area bare while waiting for a replacement. Once the roots have died off, a replacement tree should also be planted in the space where the felled tree stood. This means that for every one tree felled in Marino, more than one tree is planted, which will keep the estate green into the future. Planting Schedule to be developed - Guidance required Tree species selection and quality control - input from the community When replacement of a tree is needed, or when planting a new tree, the species of tree should be considered carefully. In order to do this, a plan for each street should be drawn up by the community, and DCC. This will ensure that the estate remains well-designed, rather than simply putting in a random replacement tree. An example of a well planned road is Croyden Park Avenue, which has silver birch along both sides of the street. One suggestion is that since this is the first estate built by the Irish Government, perhaps more native trees could be used such as birch, cherry, or rowan. In order to do this, a preferred replacement / new tree species needs to be agreed for each street, so that the design of the street remains consistent into the future. Careful consideration needs to be put into each species used to ensure that problems such as fruit fall or footpath damage, do not reoccur in the future. The Tree Council of Ireland recommends that the following trees are planted in urban or confined areas: Native Trees: Birch (Betula pendula), Cherry (Prunus padus Fastigiata ), Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia varieties) Non-native and Ornamental Trees: Field Maple (Acer campestre Elsrijk ), Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus Fastigiata ), Turkish hazel (Corylus colurna), Lime (Tilia cordata Green Spire ), Beech (Fagus sylvatica Dawyck ), Oak (Quercus robur Fastigiata ), Elm (Ulmus Lobel and U. Dodoens ), Ash (Fraxinus ornus Obelisk ) This replacement / new tree plan with be incorporated into the Marino Tree Management plan, which will be available on an online map, and plan. This will ensure that residents are made aware of the timescale of replacement, or planting of new trees, as well as the species of tree that is planted on their road. Netting Schedule to be developed - Guidance required Fruit growers often use netting to prevent fruit hitting the ground when falling from trees. This option should be investigated for ornamental pear trees, and other fruit varities in Marino. Tree Inventory & Management Plan Page 9 of 13

10 Community Involvement Describe community initiatives that should be evaluated further. Develop schedule of events. Fruit Collection A number of residents are willing to help with the coordinated footpath clearing to reduce nuisance of fruit and leaf fall in the Autumn. Cooperation with Waste Management Services required. Key Actions: Compile mailing list / facebook page for volunteers Schedule clean-up days, with allocated roads and fruit deposit points Contact pear users willing to remove collected fruit Wine & Cider Making Key Actions: Compile mailing list / facebook page for interested parties Contact local breweries Undertake feasibility assessment of cider / wine making class(es) Undertake feasibility assessment of community pear press purchase Supplementary Initiatives Key Actions: Determine annual budget for community flower planting Compile mailing list / facebook page for interested parties Develop plan for areas and species to be planted Schedule planting days, with allocated planting areas Tree Inventory & Management Plan Page 10 of 13

11 Appendix A Analysis of Trees Proposal for Removal - 27 Feb 2016 (MD) Tree Removal Proposal Further to the Motion No of the NCAC December 2015 meeting, and Item g. Area Matters of the February 2016 NCAC Meeting Road/ Street Location Philipsburgh Ave - Eastern side -Griffith Ave to Junction with Brian Road Brian Road 1- Philipsburgh Ave -to Jct Shelmartin Ave No. Proposed for Removal Specific Location of Trees proposes for removal in No 200/202 Philipsburgh Ave, No 192 Philipsburgh Ave, No 180/182 Philipsburgh Ave, No 150 Philipsburgh Ave 2 Outside No 136 Brian Road Outside No. 137 Brian Road Comments (from resident assessment) Tree is leaning over Shelmatin Tce- to Junction Shelmartin 1 Outside No.23/21 Shelmartin Tce Ave Philipsburgh Terrace 5 Outside No 75/77 Philipsburgh Tce Outside No.49/51 Philipsburgh Tce Outside No.21 Philipsburgh Tce Outside No. 9/11 Philipsburgh Tce Outside No.83 Philipsburgh Tce Shelmartin Ave to Jct Casino Road 6 Outside No 10 Shelmartin Ave Outside No.32 Shelmartin Ave Outside No.52/54 Shelmartin Ave Outside Rear 2A Shelmartin Tce Outside No43 Shelmartin Ave Outside No.17/19 Shelmartin Ave No tree at this location - Lamp-post outside Tree is actually outside No. 34 Shelmartin Ave Newly planted tree - does not look like pear Shelmartin Ave- Jct Casino Rd to Jct Brian Rd 3 Outside No 68 Shelmartin Ave Outside No.94 Shelmartin Ave Outside No.69/71 Shelmartin Ave Not an ornamental pear tree Shelmartin Ave - Jct Winsor Ave 2 Outside No 118/120 Shelmartin Ave Outside No.105 Shelmartin Ave Both of these look completely different to pear trees perhaps crabapple or other tree variety Brian Terrace 2 Outside 15/17 Brian Terrace Outside 8/10 Brian Terrace Brian Rd Shelmartin Ave to Marino Park 2 Outside 112/114 Brian Road Outside 101 Brian Road Tree is leaning over Tree is leaning over Casino Road to Brian Ave 1 Outside 22 Casino Rd Casino Road to Shelmartin Ave 2 Outside 79/77 Casino Road Outside 63/65 Casino Rd Already cut down (freshly cut) - just a stump Relatively new tree - Does not look like an ornamental pear tree >> This section of street is extremely bare of trees - second tree cut since St Aidans Park Ave 1 Outside No 46 St Aidan's Park Avenue Mislabelled think it should be No. 46 Brian Road, as St Aidan s Park Avenue does not have a No. 46. St Aidans Park 1 Outside No 25/27 St Aidans Park Is this 25/27 St Aidans Park Road? If so, this is not an ornamental pear tree, and nothing seems wrong with this tree (think is a cherry or hawthorn). No tree outside No. 25/27 St Aidans Park Haverty Road 2 Outside No 27 Haverty Road Outside No. 20/22 Haverty Rd

12 Road/ Street Location No. Proposed for Removal Specific Location of Trees proposes for removal in 2016 Brian Road - Marino Park to Malahide Rd 4 Outside 82 Brian Road Outside 73 Brian Road Outside No. 6 Brian Road East of No. 1 Brian Road St Declans Road 7 Outside No 39 St Declans Road Outside No.77 St Declans Road Outside No.97 St Declans Road Outside No. 111 St Declans Road Outside No. 82 St Declans Road Outside No.28/30 St Declans Road Outside No. 10/12 St Declans Road Carleton Road 2 Outside No 13 Carleton Road Outside No. 58/60 Carleton Road TOTAL 47 Comments (from resident assessment) Is this an ornamental pear tree? Relatively new tree - Does not look like an ornamental pear tree Relatively new tree - Does not look like an ornamental pear tree Tree is very bent / leaning over No trees around this - very bare part of the street

13 Appendix B Marino Tree Inventory March 2016