TREE ACTION PLAN
What	Who	Success measure	Target date	Progress update
Deliver the Ash Dieback Plan	Head of Operations, City Parks	Plan delivered by December 2030	Felling completed within next three years Replanting completed within the next five years[1]	Replanting is subject to funding being available
Recruit Tree Enforcement Officer	Arboriculture Manager	Officer in post	December 2022
Establish role of Tree Enforcement Officer, including relevant training and developing work programme	Arboriculture Manager	Officer inducted and delivering work programme	March 2023
Develop and implement enforcement process	Arboriculture Manager	Enforcement process agreed by Committee	May 2023
Develop elm spotter plan, including identifying resources to spot and relevant training	Arboriculture Manager	Increased number of trained elm spotters	October 2022 And ongoing
Develop and implement process for managing diseased elms that have been spotted	Arboriculture Manager	Process agreed and in action	October 2022 And ongoing
Design and install elm disease signage	Arboriculture Manager Communications Officer	Signage prepared Signage installed in relevant locations	September 2022 And ongoing	Signage has been used previously. This needs to be reviewed and updated.
Improve education and communication on elm disease	Arboriculture Manager Communications Officer	Web pages updated Regular communications published	September 2022	Educational activities have been used previously. These need to be reviewed and updated.
Develop and deliver a programme of tree surveying	Arboriculture Manager	All trees identified All trees surveyed	December 2025	Tender for surveying of trees in parks to be issued in 2022 This action is linked to the procurement of a new tree management system
Recruit Tree Surveyor to survey trees on HRA land	Arboriculture Manager	Surveyor in post	Completed	Surveyor is in post
Develop and deliver a programme of tree surveying on HRA land	HRA Tree Surveyor	All trees identified All trees surveyed	March 2023	Surveying has started
Procure a new tree management system	Head of Strategy & Service Improvement	Business case approved System procured	March 2023
Establish role of Tree Planting Officers	Arboriculture Manager	Increase in new trees planted across the city	December 2022	Two officers in post; one full-time, one part-time Roles developing as the planting season progresses
Identify options for planting new woodlands	Arboriculture Manager	Sites identified	December 2022 And ongoing	New sites dependent on approvals from Downland Advisory Panel, Asset Management Board and Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee
Plant new woodlands	Arboriculture Manager	New woodlands planted	December 2023 And ongoing	Dependent on funding
Increase street tree planting	Arboriculture Manager	Increase in new trees planted across the city	Ongoing
Increase tree planting on HRA land	Head of Tenancy Services	Increase in new trees planted across the city
Continue to plant trees in the city’s parks	Head of Operations, City Parks	Increase in new trees planted across the city		Dependent on further donations and external funding bids
Identify more diverse and sustainable species for tree planting	Arboriculture Manager	More diverse trees planted across the city	Ongoing	There is a need to break the chain between on-street elms with other tree genus to stop transmission of elm disease This will be managed on a site-by-site basis e.g. planting alternative salt resistant species to elm species closer to the sea front, looking for appropriate sites for tolerant coniferous options such as Kingsway to the Sea
Establish review process to understand the impact of more diverse and sustainable tree planting	Arboriculture Manager	Successes identified and replicated	Ongoing	Dependent on planting and time to understand impact / success
Identify and apply for grant funding	Tree Planting Officer	Existing levels of grant funding maintained	Ongoing
Consider options for tree planting using the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)	Tree Planting Officer	CIL funding obtained	Ongoing
Continue to work with and formalise tree planting partnerships	Tree Planting Officer	Increase in new trees planted across the city through partnerships and community groups	Ongoing
Work with The Woodland Trust to improve policies in relation to trees, including enforcement	Arboriculture Manager	New policies agreed	December 2023	City Parks will be meeting with The Woodland Trust to discuss how they have supported other Local Authorities on the issue of planning and preservation of green infrastructure City Parks have also expressed their interest to The Woodland Trust in seeking assistance to improve the council’s policy documentation with respect to trees
Review process for obtaining tree planting approval and communicate to the city	Tree Planting Officer	Process followed Reduced unauthorised tree planting	December 2022 And ongoing
Increase size of mowing and strimming areas around all trees	Head of Operations, City Parks	Fewer trees damaged	Ongoing
Explore options for protecting trees during street works	Arboriculture Manager	Fewer trees damaged	Ongoing	Some staff in City Transport are being trained in arboriculture matters

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[1] A 10 year maintenance programme is required for replanted trees, funding is required to enable this. Following this, after a further 10 years it can be maintained as woodland