Safely Managing Bournemouth’s Trees

Bournemouth Borough Council
Bournemouth Borough Council | 2008 - 2025 |

Long-term partnership to maintain tree stock safely

idverde has provided arboricultural services to Bournemouth Borough Council since the mid-1990s, with the current contract having been re-awarded in April 2011 and subsequently extended.

Full range of arboricultural services plus emergency call-out

The contract encompasses tree works across the borough, including works on highways, in housing areas, and in parks and cemeteries, as well as woodland and heathland management, and supporting the Council’s planning and service units.

idverde’s local Arboricultural Association Approved trees team comprises five full-time arboricultural staff, who are supplemented with more of our own qualified staff as required. The works they typically carry out under the contract include:

  • Routine pollarding to approximately 240 trees per year
  • Removal of epicormic growth twice a year from approximately 2,000 trees per occasion
  • Dead wooding and crown lifting to statutory height on 2,700 trees per year
  • Dead wooding and crown lifting to trees within car parks
  • Felling (section and direct)
  • Pollarding
  • Crown reductions
  • Stump grinding
  • Pruning growth away from buildings
  • Making habitat poles

 idverde also provides a 24-hour emergency call-out service with a maximum one-hour response time on the contract. To date, idverde has never failed to meet this obligation, with call-outs varying from a single person removing a branch to multiple response teams working throughout the night.

The right tools for the job

idverde’s team has a range of equipment at its disposal on the contract to enable them to deal with any arboricultural task. These include:

  • Generic chainsaws, including electric models which are quieter and have zero-emissions, as well as being lighter weight and safer to use than petrol-driven models
  • 5 ton vehicle with chip box
  • Two 4 x 4 Land Rovers, one with a chip box and one with Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP)
  • 6-inch chippers, PTO chipper, tracked chipper
  • Tractor fitted with timber grab, and timber trailer
  • Tracked stump grinder
  • Wheeled stump grinder

Working sustainably

In order to aid sustainability on the contract idverde plants trees annually to offset the carbon used in its operations, and has also supported biodiversity projects in Bournemouth’s parks by installing bird and bat boxes. We also assist local charity, Diverse Abilities, which collects Christmas trees after the festive season for a small donation from residents. idverde then chips the trees free of charge.