A new guide has been published giving landowners across Ireland clear steps on how to manage roadside trees.

Launching the 'A Guide for Landowners to Managing Roadside Trees', Minister of State with responsibility for Land Use and Biodiversity at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett said: "I am pleased to welcome the publication of 'A Guide for Landowners to Managing Roadside Trees'. So many of our roadside trees in Ireland are beautiful and they add much to our countryside, our landscape and our natural heritage. However, trees may become physically damaged during their lifetime due to the impact of a storm or of a pest or disease attack. Such occurrences have the potential to make roadside trees unsafe so it is very important that, in order to minimise any possible risk to people or property, landowners look after them properly and proactively."

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Produced by The Tree Council of Ireland and supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the document guides the landowner through the responsibilities associated with ownership and management of roadside trees.

Éanna Ní Lamhna, President of the Tree Council of Ireland added: "Our trees provide us all with a wide range of benefits, from health benefits both mental & physical to invaluable habitat for our wildlife and indeed even defining our landscape. This guide will provide tree owners with a straight forward, easy to follow procedure to take care of and manage this great natural resource appropriately."

A Guide for Landowners to Managing Roadside Trees sets out six clear steps, guiding the landowner through the responsibilities associated with ownership of roadside trees. It provides basic information and guidance on how to identify common defects in trees including dieback, unstable leans, splits and cracks, decay, and cavities all supported by photographs. Advice is provided on how to plan and carry out tree maintenance work, the importance of engaging professionals, health and safety and of record keeping are all emphasised.

Landowners nationwide are advised to get their free copy of the guide.