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Team. Receipt of your request for information is acknowledged.   

We will either deal with your request or pass it onto our service teams to
provide you with a response.     

The Council will respond to your Freedom of Information request within 20
working days from the time of receipt if this is within working hours, or,
if received out of hours, from the next working day. Further information
can be found at the following link: 

[1]https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/info/20110/o...

To comply with the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 further
information can be found at
[2]https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/info/20110/o...
 

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Customer Relations Team 

For information about what we do with personal data see our privacy notice
[3]Customer services | Privacy notice | London Borough of Hounslow
[4]Link to: London Borough of Hounslow

References

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4. London Borough of Hounslow
https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/

[1]London Borough of Hounslow
18-Apr-2023

Dear Abdul Hai,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request. The reference number
is FIR009112.

We will respond to your request within 20 working days. If we need
clarification, we will contact you.

Please use the reference number above for all future communication about
this case. You will be able to track the progress of this case by
logging into your My Hounslow Account.

Further information can be found on our website at the following link:
[2]Freedom of Information & Environmental Information Regulations

Kind regards,

Customer Relations
London Borough of Hounslow

References

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Dear Abdul Hai,

Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act) request.

Thank you for your request for information made to the London Borough of Hounslow which we received on 15/04/2023.

This request has been logged under reference number FIR009112. (Please use this reference for any further correspondence regarding this request).

We aim to respond to all valid FOI Act requests within 20 working days of receipt and in accordance with the FOI Act. If we need more time we will let you know the extended due date. We will also contact you should we require any additional information In relation to your request.

We are considering your request under the FOI Act 2000.

Kind Regards,

Mr J.Smith | Customer Relations Officer
2nd Floor, Hounslow House
London Borough of Hounslow
Office: 020 8583 5211
http://www.hounslow.gov.uk/

Follow us online: Twitter: @LBofHounslow and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HounslowCouncil

For information about what we do with personal data see our privacy notice Customer relations | Privacy notice | London Borough of Hounslow

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Dear Abdul Hai,

Re: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOI) 2000 - FIR009112

I am writing regarding your request for information dated 15/04/2023. You have requested the following:

Since the 2020 financial year can you publish.

1. All documents related to where to plant trees?

Parks Department - We do not hold any specific documents relating to this. However, we take requests from the public, Friends groups, community groups etc. We also consider projects with tree removals and tree planting within the design. We also consider general usable/suitable, available within our open spaces, which will not negatively impact upon the general use and amenity of the site, as well as other trees and landscape features and habitats.

Highways & Streets Department/Hounslow Highways - The street trees in the London Borough of Hounslow are regularly surveyed by ward on a three-year cycle. As part of this survey, each tree's condition is assessed, and appropriate management recommendations are made where required. From this survey, Hounslow Highways is able to identify trees that have died and need removing. This removal programme forms the basis of the planting programme. Additional trees may also be planted on occasion as part of further scheme work or funding. The locations are therefore pre-determined to coincide with the removal of existing trees, or dictated by the scheme.

Please find attached a spreadsheet which lists the locations of planted trees for 2020-21 and 2022-23, amongst other details. Please note that the species and exact location sometimes changes at the time of planting.

Hounslow Housing/Greenspace360 (Part of the Lampton Group) - We do not hold any specific documents relating to this and we only have information relating to 2022 and nothing before that.
However, 247 trees planted with a survival rate of 90%.
The trees are on a three-year watering programme and will be inspected every 3 years and put on Arbor track by the tree officer in Greenspace.

2. Long term management plans for planted trees?

Parks - We do not have any specific documentation relating to management plans for individual trees or tree groups. However, please refer to LBH Tree policy attached. The Tree Team work to provide care, maintain and water all newly planted trees, including tree pit maintenance (mulching) for 3 years. All newly planted trees are planted with tree stakes, supports and other protective measures. After 3 years, trees are included within the regular tree stock maintenance program. Stakes and other supports are removed, unless required.

Highways & Street - With the long-term management of street trees, these are added to the inventory to be checked and recorded every three years. Initially, they are placed on a Young Tree Maintenance (YTM) programme for the first three years. This includes inspections, watering and highway YTM pruning. In addition, during the planting process, a product called Biochar is used. This is an organic matter that helps the tree to establish and helps with water retention, which is required during drier hot weather. Hounslow Highways also installs watering bags which are filled and also encourages residents to do the same. There is a leaflet attached to newly planted trees to explain what to do.

Hounslow Housing/Greenspace360 (Part of the Lampton Group) - The trees are on a three-year watering programme and will be inspected every 3 years and put on Arbor track by the tree officer in Greenspace.

3. Survival rates of planted trees?

Parks - No specific survival rates are recorded or calculated. Survival rate estimates are as follows:

* Standard trees: 90% success rate failures due to initial poor stock, vandalism, watering constraints and severe weather events (heatwaves etc.)
* Copses and whips: 50% success rate although dependent on annual conditions. There was a low success rate of around 20% for copses and whips planted in 2021, due to the heatwave last year.
* Hedging: 80% success rate

Highways & Streets - Hounslow Highways does not record individual survival rates, as any dead trees are added into the removal and planting programme. No data is therefore available for this. The survival of trees is normally dependant on weather conditions; long dry hot summers, like the one that occurred in 2022, does put a strain on the newly planted tree, even if it is being watered. Hounslow Highways aims to keep them in situ for the first 3 years, before any removal is planned and it is made certain that the tree has unfortunately not survived. Vandalism whereby trees are broken or damaged does also occur, in which case these will have rectification pruning, if possible. If removal is however the only option, this will be carried out in the following planting season.

Hounslow Housing/Greenspace360 (Part of the Lampton Group) - 247 trees planted with a survival rate of 90%.

The response to your request has been dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Copyright and misuse of information

Most of the information that is provided in response to a FOI or EIR request will be owned by the London Borough of Hounslow and is therefore covered by the Open
Government Licence. However, the copyright of some of the information we share may be owned by another person or organisation (eg Ordnance Survey).

Individuals and organisations are free to re-use any information covered by the Open Government Licence for commercial or non-commercial purposes, provided the terms of the licence are adhered to.
Where the copyright of the information is owned by another person or organisation, you must apply to the copyright owner to obtain their permission for re-use.

If you wish to make a request for information again, please complete the online, which you can access by following the link below, as this will provide us with the required information to ensure a prompt
response to your request:

https://eforms.hounslow.gov.uk/ufs/ufsma...

If you do not feel that the Council has dealt with your request for information appropriately or wish to request a review of this response, please contact the FOI Review Officer at [Hounslow Borough Council request email]

Yours sincerely,

Mr J.Smith | Customer Relations Officer
2nd Floor, Hounslow House
London Borough of Hounslow
Office: 020 8583 5211
http://www.hounslow.gov.uk/

Follow us online: Twitter: @LBofHounslow and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HounslowCouncil

For information about what we do with personal data see our privacy notice Customer relations | Privacy notice | London Borough of Hounslow

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