02 Beantwoording raadsadres snoeibeleid geanonimiseerd

Bezoekadres Amstel 1 1011 PN Amsterdam Postbus 202 1000 AE Amsterdam Telefoon 14 020 amsterdam.nl

Retouradres: Postbus 202, 1000 AE Amsterdam

Dhr. C. Jorgensen Mail: chris438@outlook.com

Datum

16 december 2024

Behandeld door Marina van Hameren Bijlage Onderwerp

Your letter of May 7, 2024, response to your council address regarding pruning policy

Dear Mister Jorgensen,

Thank you for your mail to the City Council dated May 7, 2024 with questions about pruning policy during the breeding season. The response to your letter has unfortunately taken far too long, for which I would like to apologize. In your letter you describe having witnessed pruning actions to a tree while birds were staying in the cavity. The City Council has asked me to answer your letter. I understand that it looks very annoying when a tree is pruned while birds may be residing in it. The Nature Protection Act allows work to be carried out on trees throughout the year, provided the Nature Protection Act is observed. Prior to the work, an inspection of the tree should be carried out to determine the presence of, for example, bats and/or nesting birds. This check is contractually defined in our framework agreements. If there is a nest in a tree we are not allowed to carry out any work, but sometimes these cannot be postponed if the tree is unsafe for the public space and its users. Taking measures is necessary in such a situation and cannot then wait until the birds have fledged. This is to prevent damage or injury to visitors to the Vondelpark. In the event that there is a safety problem with a tree, an ecologist will be called in to give instructions on how the work can still be carried out without damaging the tree.

If there are no possibilities to carry out the work without disturbing the nest, an exemption must be requested from the North Sea Canal Area Environmental Service.

Een routebeschrijving vindt u op www.amsterdam.nl.

Gemeente Amsterdam

16 december 2024 Kenmerk Pagina 2 van 2

Since I do not know which tree it is where you made the observation I cannot tell you what was going on. It is quite possible that the measures taken at this tree were necessary and work was done on the instructions of an ecologist, with minimal disturbance to the nest. We can investigate this further for you if you can give us the exact location of the tree. I trust this has given you sufficient information. Should you have any further questions please contact Marina van Hameren at m.van.hameren@amsterdam.nl.

Kind regards, On behalf of the Municipal Executive,

Melanie van der Horst Alderman Public Space and Green