There are around 448,000 ash trees within falling distance of a highway in Devon. Only 1% of these trees are located on land owned by Devon County Council, the rest (99%) is the responsibility of private landowners.
Landowners with trees adjacent to the 8,000 miles of public highway in Devon are therefore being encouraged to take urgent action to assess and ultimately fell their infected ash trees where necessary. Devon County Council will not and indeed cannot bear the cost of inspecting and felling privately owned diseased ash trees. That’s why the Council is promoting a campaign that clearly communicates whose responsibility it is to take action. This is critical for landowners to understand given the potential risk to life and the insurance claims they may be exposed to as a result of third party injuries arising from landowners doing nothing about the safety risks posed by ash dieback.
See a short film clip (filmed July 2019) advising landowners of their responsibilities: