AT least two trees will be planted for every one which has to be removed from Dorset Council-owned land in future.

The authority now manages more than a quarter of a million trees on sites across the county, councillors were told on Tuesday.

Environment and climate change policy brief holder Cllr Ray Bryan says care of the county’s trees is important for Dorset as it starts to tackle climate problems.

The council’s place and resources overview committee backed changes to the authority’s tree policy which brings together previous practices from predecessor councils prior to re-organisation two years ago.

Coast and greenspace service manager Matt Reeks says the new policy has also shortened the period of inspection for council-owned trees, to 3 years and 5 years, from 5 and 10 years for larger roads and unclassified roads. This follows a death from a falling tree in 2019 on the B3081 and recommendations made by the Health and Safety Executive.

Mr Reeks said that the increased inspection rate would mean taking on another qualified tree inspection officer at a cost of around £40,000 a year, although this was not currently budgeted for.

He said the council’s new policy would now only see trees removed on its land where absolutely necessary, mainly where they are dead, dying, dangerous, or causing significant subsidence.

Said Cllr Bryan: “This is part and parcel of what we need to do going forward as part of our climate and ecological change commitments. We will also be looking at a tree planting policy and to see if there is land we could use, as a way of helping deal with climate change.”

The council has also produced a ‘guide to tree planting’ leaflet which it will circulate to interested groups and members of the public who wish to plant trees on their own land. It has also pledged to work with others to support the planting of trees throughout the county.