Maintaining our trees

There are approximately 2 million trees growing on Surrey's highway network. They make an important contribution to the landscape and provide many other environmental benefits for the county. Our network of highway trees provides important habitat, allowing wildlife to live and move through the landscape. They are also a vital resource for combating climate change.

Keeping our roads safe

All trees develop defects and eventually die, which can present a risk for highway users. To help reduce the risk of tree failure to acceptable levels, we maintain our trees in accordance with the National Tree Safety Group guidance.

We use qualified arboriculturists to maintain highway trees through a cyclical programme of inspections. Higher risk roads are inspected every 3 years, with lower risk roads inspected every 5 years. Our Tree risk management policy (PDF) explains this in more detail.

Due to the large number of trees on the highway, we prioritise our resources to ensure we are addressing the most serious issues where there is an unacceptable risk to people and property. All our operations are given a risk priority as follows:

Priority 6: Emergency response
Priority 5: Within 60 days
Priority 4: Within 12 months
Priority 1 to 3: No immediate action. The level of risk is acceptable, but the tree will continue to be monitored.

When do we cut trees

We will carry out tree works under the following circumstances:

The tree is dead or dangerous and it presents an unacceptable risk to people or property
There is significant damage to property than can only be remedied by removing the tree
The tree is causing a hazard by obscuring road signs and streetlights

Examples of when we don't cut trees

We occasionally receive requests to prune or remove trees to improve sunlight and other non-safety related reasons. We do not usually prune or remove trees for the following reasons:

To allow more sunlight into a home or garden
To improve views
To allow for the construction of vehicle cross overs
To improve TV reception or solar panel efficiency
Because the tree has got bigger
To prevent birds from perching in the trees and causing a mess
To prevent falling leaves, flowers, sap and small twigs.

Fallen leaves on roads are cleared by your local district and borough council. If you have an enquiry about fallen leaves, please see your district or borough council website for their contact options. Clearance of leaves on private land is the responsibility of the landowner.

Please do not use a leaf blower (or other tool) to blow leaves from private land onto the road, pavements or grass verges. This can block drains and cause a hazard to road users.

This also applies to other deposits including sap, fallen blossom, catkins, fruit, nuts, berries and cones.

Report an issue

If one of our trees is hazardous please report it to us:

Report a problem with a tree

If you are reporting an emergency, please call 0300 200 1003. Please see our road emergencies page for more information on what we define as an emergency.

Where we are working

We carry out work throughout the year. Due to the nature of trees, some of our work is reactive and we are not always able to advertise where we are working. Where we have planned felling work, our tree felling map shows trees that have been scheduled for removal. Please note that this map may not include trees which are being pruned and does not show trees which require removal under very short timescales.

Protecting wildlife

Larger scale tree works are scheduled to take place over the winter, to avoid the nesting season. However, due to the high volume of work the team does, work is ongoing throughout the year. Careful checks are made before cutting any tree to ensure that nesting birds and other protected species are not disturbed. All legislation relating to wildlife is followed at all times.

Standing and fallen dead trees provide important habitat for wildlife including fungi, beetles and insects. Where it is safe and desirable to do so, we retain standing dead trees, stumps and fallen trees for this reason. We will also sometimes leave cut wood within certain areas to help create more habitat.

Tree planting

Street trees are an important component of the landscape in which we live and work, providing much loved character as well as biodiversity. Working with the Greener Futures programme, each year thousands of trees are planted on the highway, resulting in a net increase in the number of trees.

In residential areas, we will replant street trees that have to be removed for safety reasons. Underground services can prevent this, but we will always attempt to find a nearby planting space.

If you want to apply to plant a tree outside your property or on a local highway verge, see our page about planting trees on the highway

Can you pay for a tree to be pruned?

We will occasionally allow third party contractors to carry out tree works on the highway at your own expense. However, this will only be authorised under certain circumstances. Where branches overhang your property, you may organise for them to be cut back, but you should use a professional tree contractor to ensure that the tree is not left unbalanced. You will also need to carry out checks for protected trees (TPOs and Conservation areas) with your local planning authority.

If branches are not overhanging your property, but you would still like to organise maintenance work at your own expense, you must seek prior authorisation from us by emailing your request to highways@surreycc.gov.uk. Any request must be supported by a tree work specification prepared by a professional arboriculturist in accordance with the British Standard 3998. Accompanying photographs clearly annotated to show where you are proposing to cut the tree must also be provided.

The council will only allow trained specialists to climb trees to carry out works. If a tree overhangs your boundary you may cut small branches that can be reached from the ground, back to your boundary. For safety reasons, if branches are higher than this or if they are wider than your wrist, a specialist will be required to avoid risk of injury or damage.

Permission is unlikely to be granted if the proposed work is likely to be harmful to the tree and the ecosystem services that it provides. Where permission is granted, works must be carried out by a professional contractor with the necessary public liability insurance to work on the highway. For a list of independently approved contractors, please refer to the Arboricultural Association or view our Approved Traders Scheme.

Managing trees on your property

If you have a tree on your own property, it is important to ensure that it does not present a risk to highway users. If we have sent you a letter about trees next to the highway, it is because one of our inspectors has identified a potential problem. Find out more about your responsibilities for trees on your property.

In this section

Your responsibilities for trees on your property