Thames Water is nearly half way through a major long-term environmental survey of its grounds to protect the environment and natural habitats – the project started in April 2016 and is expected to finish in the summer of 2018.

The water company is assessing and evaluating all of the trees and associated or potential habitats it owns, or that are near its sites.

The survey is being carried out by a dedicated team of specialists at Thames Water Ground Control who are travelling the length and breadth of the Thames Water region to inspect individual trees, groups and woodlands, where access allows.

According to Alan Richardson, a senior arboricultural consultant at Ground Control, the survey is proving a to be a challenging task:

“There’s limited knowledge of what Thames Water owns, or where its sites’ boundaries finish. As well as highlighting dangerous trees and recommending remedial tree work, we are creating a huge database of the trees and species, which will be accessible for years.”

As well as collecting data within ‘woodplan’, Ground Control’s in house tree management system, another key part of the tree survey is the health and safety aspect.

The experts report back to Thames Water what condition the trees are in, for example, if they have been badly storm damaged or are suffering from a disease, and recommend remedial tree works to resolve the situation.

Cutting down the trees is seen as a last resort – the team will first seek to find alternative solutions, whether by reducing the trees down to retain habitats or make them more stable.

With just over a year left to go on the survey, the team believes there are around 150 species of trees on the company’s land, ranging from the traditional great british trees of oak, ash and lime, and some more exotic ones such as japanese maple and indian bean tree. 

In total, there are well in excess of 170,000 trees providing valuable habitat and wildlife corridors for many species of animal, birds and insects

Alan Richardson continued:

“One of the main positives of the survey is that it’s raising awareness of the trees. They are seen as an asset now, people are becoming more aware and it shows Thames Water is being proactive in protecting the environment, natural habitats and carrying out its duty of care.”

Thames Water’s service area stretches from the eastern fringes of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire in the west, through London and the Thames Valley, to the western edges of Essex and Kent in the east.