Vegetation management
Rail Minister Jo Johnson has launched a review into Network Rail’s tree-cutting and vegetation management.
Johnson made the announcement on May 11. NR has been asked to suspend all felling during the current bird nesting season, except where the need is safety-critical.
Government said the review will consider how NR can “best ensure the safety of our railways, while also protecting wildlife and preserving trees”. It will also build on areas of existing best practice in vegetation management within the organisation, said the Department for Transport.
The review has been launched in consultation with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Tree Council.
“How we manage our trees and vegetation - and protect the wildlife that lives in and around them - is an important issue,” said Johnson (pictured). “It is right that Network Rail is able to remove trees that could be dangerous, or have an impact on the reliability of services. In the last year, vegetation management and related incidents have cost the railway £100 million.” He said he understood that cutting back trees can “alarm people who enjoy these environments - and can especially raise concerns over the effects on birds during the nesting season. That is why the review has been commissioned,” he explained. NR is the fourth largest landowner in the country. In the past year there have been 1,500 incidents involving trees and bad weather that led to widespread travel disruption, according to Government.
A Network Rail spokesman told RAIL the company was constantly balancing the needs of the environment and its lineside neighbours with the needs and safety of 4.6 million people who use the railway each day.
“Last year we recorded over 400 incidents of trains colliding with fallen trees and another 1,000 where they caused delays to services, costing the industry over £100m,” he said.
“As a result, we have wellthought-out standards and policies in place that have been developed over many years, with the help of experts, that we believe strike the right balance and maintain a safe and bio-diverse lineside.
“Most of the time when putting those standards and policies into action we get it right, but sometimes we don’t. To help us improve we have formed close partnerships with the Tree Council, the Woodland Trust and other experts in the field.”