Care of trees in Cardiff Parks

Bute Park is a Grade 1 listed historic landscape and nationally significant arboretum, please help us protect it. We have provided the following guidance to help you do this.

Cardiff Council withholds the right to fine Event Organisers for any damage caused to the trees as a result of their event. These fines can be significant and are non-negotiable, please avoid them by following this guidance.

Your site staffed should be briefed on this information and this sheet should be made available for reference on site.

• The canopy of a tree gives an indication of the extent of the root zone. Incremental compaction of this zone will slowly suffocate the tree as air pockets are squashed out of the soil. For this reason, no vehicles or other heavy materials are to be parked beneath the canopy of any tree. If you wish to request storage under tree canopies to aid your event set up this must be discussed in advance with the Parks Event Manager who will make a decision on a case by case basis.

• To avoid puncturing a major root which could be severed or become infected and cause a tree to go into decline, no stakes are to be used beneath any tree canopy.

• For the same reason, there must be no trenching, excavation or changes in ground levels beneath the canopy of any trees.

• To avoid damaging our trees and to prevent infection of a tree wound, no tree or shrub is to be pruned back.Cardiff Council will generally decline any such request, but in exceptional cases will allow this to be carried out by an authorised person. If you require trees to be pruned back to facilitate your event, e.g. low hanging branches obstructing HGVs, you must request this in advance from the Parks Event Manager.

• To avoid pollution of the root zone, no chemicals or fuel etc. is to be stacked or stored beneath the canopy of any tree. Drip trays must be used under generators.

• To avoid scorching or polluting the root zone, no exhausts from heaters, generators etc. shall be positioned beneath the canopy of any tree. All exhausts shall be directed away from tree canopies.

• To avoid fire damage and to avoid polluting the root zone, no cooking or fires shall be permitted beneath the canopy of any tree.

• To respect our trees and avoid damaging them, you must not fix anything to a tree. You must not nail or pin posters to trees or tie posters around trees with string. If you wish to fix or hang anything in a tree, e.g. lights, signs, decorations etc. this must be discussed and agreed in advance with the Parks Events Manager.

• If your event requires vehicle or equipment movements in the vicinity of a tree, it may be necessary to use some local tree protection measures to physically segregate the tree(s) from the danger. See example below.

Any protective measures positioned around trees shall remain in position for the duration of the event and shall not be removed or repositioned. This will be monitored by the Site Supervisor.

Mature and rare tees are irreplaceable things and must be looked after. This is particularly important in arboretum sites like Bute Park and Roath Park. Refer to specific venue site guidance for any additional local restrictions.