Full list of streets earmarked for more intensive tree pruning by Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council (DCC) will trial a more intensive pruning regime, known as pollarding, for around 250 trees throughout the capital.
Pollarding is a method of pruning that aims to keep trees at a smaller size than they would naturally grow.
It differs from other forms of tree maintenance in that it is not done on an ad hoc basis but regularly, and it takes a lot more of the tree’s crown away to restrict its size.
The council has released a full list of the locations in the city where trees will be pollarded:
Broombridge Road, Dublin 7 – 37 trees
John Dillon St and John Dillon Place, Dublin 8 – 10 trees
Our Lady’s Road, Dublin 8 – 16 trees
Morning Star Road, Dublin 8 – 3 trees
Rutland Avenue, Dublin 12 – 17 trees
Mount Tallant Avenue, Dublin 6 – 50 trees
The intensive pruning is being proposed because many of the fastigiate hornbeam variety of trees in the city are overwhelming residential streets, according to the authority.
Ludovic Beaumont, DCC trees officer, previously told city councillors that usually when tree inspectors are working in the city, they are just looking at the health of the tree or whether it is a health and safety issue.
“But what we have realised as well, we have some trees that while they are in good condition, they’re creating a lot of issues to the residents,” he said.
A report on tree works authored by Mr Beaumont said this species of hornbeam can “dominate” the available space and nearby houses.
“While arborist reports often recommend minimal intervention based on health and safety considerations, many residents feel threatened by the tree’s size and dense foliage,” the report read.
It said some of the hornbeams were now in decline because they were planted in small tree pits.
“In some cases, pollarding could extend the lifespan of these trees,” it read.
The council says pollarding is only suitable for certain tree species which are tough enough to handle this form of pruning, which is why it will only be trialling it on fastigiate hornbeams for the time being.
DCC is conducting a pilot programme of up to five years for the pollarding programme.