It’s coming up that that time of year when the volume of hedge trimming work will double. With that comes the responsibility to be aware of nesting birds, and that can be a cause of a short delay in the completion of planned works!
Like all tree surgeons, we are governed by a number of Acts of Parliament which protect wildlife: The Wildlife and Countryside Act, The Countryside and Rights of Way Act, The Habitat Regulations; Environmental Protection Act; Pollution Prevention and Control Act; and the Protection of Badgers Act.
We have a simple policy which helps remind us of our obligations and sets out some common sense steps to avoid any harm.
In practice at this time of year, it means you’ll find us peering into hedges and trees in a bid to look for or hear nesting birds before we start work! Occasionally we come across nests having already started, but in both cases, we suspend the work, make a note on a list in the office and return in a matter of weeks once the chicks have fledged.
Watching out for our impact on wildlife has led us down some interesting paths, and certainly requires an open mind; a recent request to work very close to a known badger run means that we cannot work later than 5 pm to avoid early evening feeding, and resulted in us buying our first electric chainsaw to reduce the noise impact on the set.
For a free tree surgery quote, contact Andrew on 01256 817369 or 07771 883061; via andrew@primarytreesurgeons.co.uk; www.primarytreesurgeons.co.uk; Twitter @PrimaryTreeSurg