Urban Forestry

Mission Statement

Urban Forestry was established by Shane A Lanigan in 1979 following a period of employment within the arboricultural industry which began in Summer 1971. The aim of this company is to provide tree management services which cause as little harm to the tree population and associated environment as possible.

This is reflected in our ISO 9001 statement which requires:

The provision of high quality and technically correct tree services to both private and commercial clients.

Urban Forestry undertakes to operate within the law and in an ethical fashion. Compliance with statutory legislation governing tree work operations is guaranteed. Health and Safety Legislation is complied with in all respects as it applies to both our direct operations and also operation of vehicle and plant used in the execution of these works. All operations are undertaken in such a way as to be as minimally damaging to the environment as possible, particularly in respect of disposal of arisings.

Safety

At Urban Forestry we recognise that tree work is an inherently dangerous operation. Therefore we ensure that all employees are fully trained and qualified to carry out their assigned tasks. In order to improve and monitor our on site safety we have attained
BS EN ISO 18001:2004 Health & Safety accreditation which complements our BS EN ISO 9001 accreditation in respect of customer care and BS EN 14001 which ensures compliance with environmental legislation.

Employee involvement is positively encouraged in matters of safety by way of regular meetings and 'TailgateTalks'.

Our ongoing safety programme involves:

• Operation of BS EN ISO 18001
• 'Van Packs' held within each vehicle detailing staff qualifications and insurance, vehicle papers, work procedure requirements
• Weekly and occasional daily 'tailgate talks'
• Industry skills training courses for employees
• Documented safety meetings under ISO 18001

Environmental

As operators of a company that deals with the environment on a close and daily basis the partners are extremely aware of our potential detriment to the environment. We strive to mitigate these effects by:

i) not recommending excessive pruning works or unnecessary tree removals
ii) recycling as high a percentage of arisings occasioned by our works as possible
iii) utilising modern fuel efficient vehicles and machinery
iv) auditing our complete company operations from office through to waste disposal in order to ensure that unwelcome impacts are reduced as far as possible
v) ensuring re-use of used paper, ink cartridges, etc from office procedures

In respect of the above we have prepared a comprehensive Environment Statement which is available for inspection at our office to both our employees and current and potential clients.

Arborist Associations

Urban Forestry is a professional company and to assist us in keeping abreast of contemporary developments in arboricultural we are members of the :

I.S.A. - International Society of Arboriculture(www.isa-arbor.com)
A.A. - Arboricultural Association (www.trees.org.uk)
C.A.S. - Consulting Arborist Society (www.consultingarboristsociety.co.uk)
The Woodland Trust (www.woodlandtrust.org.uk)

In addition the senior partner S.A. Lanigan is an I.S.A. Certified Arborist, the company is also an A.A. approved contractor.
Whilst local authorities do not recommend contractors to clients we are, as a company included on the lists of contractors held by various Local Authorities and do have good working relationships with all our local councils.

To enhance our customer care, environmental and health and safety policies we operate:

• BS EN ISO 9001 - Customer Care/Quality Assurance
• BS EN ISO 14001 - Environmental
• BS EN ISO 18001 - Health & Safety

Statutory Controls

Many trees are the subject of statutory controls which prohibit any works without prior consent of or notification to the appropriate local authority. Such controls are an essential measure that assist in the retention of the United Kingdom's increasingly threatened tree population. Legislation appertaining to tree controls is found within the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 and the Town & Country Planning (Trees) Regulations 1999. The Act must be read in conjunction with the Planning & Compensation Act 1991 as this amended some Tree Preservation Order provisions and added four new sections.

Principle Tree Work Control Legislation :-

• Tree Preservation Orders Section 198-202
• Conservation Areas Section 211-214
• The Hedgerow Regulations 1997
• Felling Licences
• Faculty Jurisdiction

As part of our client service Urban Forestry will, upon instruction to proceed with works liaise with Local Planning Authorities in order to obtain relevant consent for the works.

Consultancy

Arboriculture is a complex area of operation both practically and theoretically. Liability for trees and tree related damage can be a very grey area. The implications for a client who has reviewed poor or unqualified advice are wide ranging and could, in extremis, lead to prosecution and financial penalty.

It is my view that consultancy should be carried out by consultants, preferably those that are or are soon to become Arboricultural Associated registered consultants. In view of this I do not look to carry out consultancy works. On behalf of this company I will undertake tree safety inspections and pre-purchase mortgage reports. These operations do fall within the remit of my business operation. Other more involved consultancy works should be undertaken by specialist operators.