Thousands more trees to be felled across Leeds amid claims over road safety
Thousands of trees are to be felled across Leeds as the city council claims they pose a danger to road safety.
A map of the trees - deemed to either show signs of disease or defects which means they could collapse onto roads - has been built by the authority. It shows the sheer scale of loss which is coming, across council and private land, with thousands more trees to face the axe in all areas and city districts.
The trees are infected with ash dieback disease or showing defects, a statement said, and "are at risk of collapsing on to roads, causing disruption and potential harm".
More than 1,000 more trees on council land are now to be felled.
Several hundred trees have already been removed and, with 1,300 more on land which is privately owned, it has issued a warning call to landowners over their "duty". The map, the city council has said, is aimed at helping landowners understand if they need to take action.
Leeds City Council (LCC) said it has used artificial intelligence to locate ash trees along its highways, sending out staff to then assess their condition.
Ash dieback can weaken trees, leaving them brittle and susceptible to secondary infections. Estimates suggest it could kill more than 60 per cent of ash trees in coming decades.
For each tree felled on its land, LCC adds, five new ones will be planted.
Coun Mohammed Rafique, executive member environment, said teams have identified thousands of trees near to highways that are in need of felling.
“Landowners do have responsibility to manage trees on their own land," he added.
“The council also has plans in place to remove all trees on our land considered unsafe to remain as they can pose a risk to people and property.”