NEARLY £2.2 million will be spent by Somerset Council over the next four years to look after the county’s trees, including ongoing efforts to combat ash dieback.

The council has a legal duty to ensure trees within its care do not ‘pose an unacceptable risk to the public’.

It has awarded a four-year contract for maintenance and reactive work at an estimated cost of £675,000 a year, equivalent to £2.19 million over the lifetime of the work.

The contract includes extra work to combat ash dieback, which is now ‘widespread’ across the county and requires significant intervention to prevent the disease from spreading further.

Highway risk service manager Paul Sweetman said: “We are responsible for the management of a large and diverse tree stock across our land holdings, including along highways, in parks, schools, and on other public properties.

“This responsibility includes carrying out routine maintenance to maintain tree health and structure, as well as responding to urgent issues such as storm damage and disease.

“The Chalara fungus, which causes ash dieback, is now widespread across Somerset, leading to the rapid decline and death of a significant proportion of the county’s ash trees.

“This necessitates a proactive programme of felling and management to mitigate the risk of tree failure.

“The framework agreement is designed to procure specialist services for mechanised tree felling to tackle ash dieback, alongside routine tree surgery operations.”

Ash dieback has been a particular issue in the Quantock Hills, with residents having until New Year’s Eve to give their views on how this can be combated as part of the National Landscape’s new management plan.

The council has not publicly identified the chosen contractors for the works, citing commercial sensitivity.

Mr Sweetman said it would not prove cost-effective to taxpayers to deliver the services entirely in-house due to fluctuating demand during the year.