The facts
Location: Wolverhampton
Client: Wolverhampton City Council
Start Date: August 2009
Completion Date: Ongoing
Procurement method: Partnership
Construction Value: £30,000
Contacts: Rob Sim, Technical Director
- Arboriculture; James England - GIS / Countryside
Services Manager, Jonathan Mills Senior Arboriculturalist
Services provided:
- Tree Hazard Surveys
- QTRA Surveys
- Tree Policy Advice
- GIS Services
- Mobile Data Collection
- Web Mapping
- Health and safety advice
- Development of tree management strategies
The project
Capita Symonds’ Arboriculture team in Cumbria secured a contract
through Continental Landscapes Ltd to survey trees for
Wolverhampton Homes on their tenanted properties. The aim of the
contract is to identify immediately dangerous trees and generally
improve the remaining tree stock through proactive management.
To aid the information exchange between the partnership we have
created a web mapping site to display the data collected in the
field. Our surveyors are using customised mobile data capture
devices to quickly and accurately describe and plot the trees
identified. Quantified tree risk assessment is being used to assess
the risk posed by hazardous trees and prioritise the remedial tree
surgery work.
This builds on other successful countywide tree surveys that the
team has undertaken in the midlands and this work is allowing us to
create a base in the midlands area.
Work undertaken:
- Policy documents have been drafted to assist: Wolverhampton
Homes in answering the high number of tenant requests for tree
pruning which set out basic service standards and system of
prioritising the complaints.
- Outline long term tree management strategies which will assist
in reducing the number of complaints from tenants in the long term,
improving arboricultural diversity and amenity of trees in communal
areas and aiding management of resources.
- Undertaking a full inventory of the tree stock in communal
areas to identify nuisance trees, assist in dealing with customer
service requests, identifying areas where new tree planting is
appropriate, assist in calculating the cost of tree maintenance and
a general assessment of tree health.
- Developing with Continental Landscapes a system of internal
monitoring of arboricultural operations to provide an evidence base
for internal and external use.