Protecting and Enhancing England’s Trees and Woodlands

January 31, 2019

By Peter Dixon

The felling of street trees by local authorities has proved controversial in recent times. In December the Government published proposals to impose a duty on local authorities to consult before felling individual street trees, subject to certain exceptions (e.g. in the case of dangerous, diseased or dead trees or trees causing damage to the apparatus of a statutory undertaker or to the integrity of a footpath or carriageway).  Duties on local authorities to report on tree felling and to prepare and publish tree and woodland management strategies are also proposed.

Whilst the main emphasis in the new proposals is on local authorities, the Government has indicated the intention to introduce measures to increase the powers of the Forestry Commission to address illegal felling by reinforcing the provisions of the Forestry Act 1967, described in the consultation as “now out of date”.