All trees growing on the highway are inspected regularly and a programme of pruning work is carried out by specially trained contractor's staff at four year intervals. The
Street Tree Pruning Programme identifies which highways are covered in the programme this year. You may be asked to keep a street clear of parked vehicles to allow pruning to be carried out and we ask for your co-operation to avoid the expense of delays or damage.
There are around 3,700 trees planted along the highways and streets of Bury. These trees make a valuable contribution to the landscape of the Borough. They help improve the quality of the environment by:
- Improving the visual appearance of streets by breaking up the lines of the buildings
- Absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
- Providing shelter from the wind
Bury MBC uses the most modern and effective pruning techniques and none of the street trees are lopped, topped or pollarded. The aims of pruning highway trees are:
- To achieve statutory clearances over the carriageway and footways
- To avoid physical damage to adjoining property, overhead lines and cables, vehicles etc.
- To ensure safety in respect of falling branches/deadwood
- To produce a well balanced and shaped tree appropriate to the type of tree and its location
- To lessen nuisance to adjoining property including leaves in gutters, shading of daylight, interference to TV reception, etc.
In certain circumstances it is necessary to completely remove a tree and wherever possible a replacement will be planted if the conditions in that location allow.
This will depend on the width of the footways, traffic considerations, the presence of underground pipes and cables. Replacement trees will be available subject to budget and funding.
The safety of street trees is of prime importance. If you are concerned about the safety of any tree growing on the highway ie the footways or a roadside verge, or in a public car park, then please contact:
Environment & Development Services
Customer Services, Lester House, Broad Street, Bury, BL9 0AW
Phone: 0161 253 5353
Fax: 0161 253 5851
