Tree inspection process
Pages in Tree inspection process
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Guiding principles and legal obligations
- 3. Duty of care
- 4. Hazard and risk
- 5. Tree inspections
- 6. Identification of hazards and intervention/response times
- 7. Assessment of risk
- 8. Frequency and method of inspection
- 9. Competent persons and keeping records
- 10. You are here: Fallen timber and stumps
- 11. Storms and aftermath inspections
- 12. Map of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council managed land
- 13. Requests from residents for non-safety tree related works
- 14. Notifications regarding works to borough owned trees
- 15. Tree felling and planting
- 16. Appendices
10. Fallen timber and stumps
Large amounts of fallen timber, wood and old stumps are important features that contribute significantly to the dead wood resource of any woodland. This type of material should remain on site whenever this is practical. The potential hazards created by fallen timber and stumps are identified on site. When it is appropriate to retain timber on site the Tree and Woodlands Officers will ensure that:
- Felled trunks are left too large to move.
- Timber is stacked in low piles, preferably in areas that are difficult to access or see, and the undergrowth is encouraged to cover them.
- Stumps are dug or ground out where they represent a potential trip hazard e.g. next
- to or on footpaths subject to archaeological constraints (Castle Grounds and Reigate Heath earthworks). Sites such as this have earthworks (e.g. burial mounds) which are designated scheduled monuments and have statutory protection. Tree roots protect these archaeological features from deterioration - the removal of stumps and roots can cause damage to the structural integrity. Further information available at Scheduled Monuments - A Guide for Owners and Occupiers (historicengland.org.uk).