Tree Preservation Orders in East Dorset

Types of trees

Trees within East Dorset are divided into 4 categories with different levels of risk and maintenance associated with them. These are:

• highway trees. Located adjacent to public roads either within pavements or adjacent verges/shrub borders, and are the responsibility of Dorset Council
• open space trees, found within parks, recreation grounds, open spaces and along the borough's coastline and are the responsibility of Dorset Council
• countryside site trees. These are trees found within the borough's woodlands, copses and countryside sites including Local Nature Reserves. They are also the responsibility of the council
• private trees. These grow on privately owned land and include trees protected by Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) or within conservation areas

Tree Preservation Orders and conservation areas

Trees may be protected by TPOs or other legal procedures to make sure that they are not lost or damaged needlessly. TPOs prohibit the cutting down, uprooting, topping, lopping, wilful damage or wilful destruction of trees without the local authority's consent. Dorset Council can issue a TPO for specific trees. TPOs are managed by the Planning and Health department, for more information, use our tree enquiry form.

Contact us

If you have any queries, please contact us:

Highway trees

Highway trees are located on or adjacent to public highways including roads, pathways and roadside verges. For more information or for enquires about highways trees, use our tree enquiry form.

Open spaces and countryside trees

For more information or for enquiries about trees on open spaces and countryside, contact the Open Spaces and Countryside team: