Fallen trees on roads
Report fallen trees and debris on roads to Police Scotland by calling 101.
Tree making a pavement or road surface uneven
Let us know if a tree is making pavement or road surface uneven. Give as much detail as you can about the exact location of the tree.
Report a tree making a pavement or road surface uneven
Overgrown tree causing a problem on a road or pavement
If overgrown vegetation is causing a problem on a road or pavement, let us know.
Report overgrown vegetation on roads or pavements
Fallen and dangerous trees on council property
If a tree on council property is causing an immediate danger to life or property, let us know.
Remember to tell us exactly why the tree is dangerous. For example, it could be:
- fallen
- newly leaning
- broken branches about to fall
- new movement at the base of the tree
Report a fallen or dangerous tree on council land
We are not responsible for trees on private land.
Fallen and dangerous trees on private land
If the dangerous tree is on private land, contact the landowner. If you're not sure who the landowner is, see our section on tree ownership further down the page.
Tree overhanging property
Contact the landowner if you have an enquiry about a tree overhanging your property.
If the land belongs to the council, contact our tree officer using our online enquiry form.
Felling or pruning
In many cases, you will not need permission to cut down or prune your trees.
However, a formal application is required if the tree is:
- protected by a Tree Preservation Order
- protected by a condition of a planning permission
- within a Conservation Area. In this case you must give six weeks written notice of your intention to carry out the work
If the work involves a number of tree removals, get Felling Permission from Scottish Forestry.
For further advice, contact our countryside officer using our online enquiry form.
Tree management and planting
Our tree officer can also give advice on tree management and planting.
Contact our tree officer using our online enquiry form.
Tree ownership
To contact the landowner, you can knock on the door and or leave a note. The owner may not be aware of the issue with their tree.
There are several ways to find out about the ownership of a tree:
- Speak to nearby residents or neighbours who may have been living in the area for a long time.
- Property deeds sometimes identify adjacent landowners. This will at least clarify where property boundaries are.
- Search land and property ownership with the Registers of Scotland.
We do not keep records of private land ownership.
Memorial trees
Remember a loved one in our parks, cemeteries and open spaces with a memorial tree.
Or donate to our tree donation scheme.
Other tree issues
If you have an issue with a tree that isn't covered on this page, you can get in touch with our tree officer using our online enquiry form.
We take each case on its own merits, but before you get in touch please note:
- Where birds are nesting, it's against the law to intentionally injure or kill a wild bird or damage its active nests. Tree work is done in winter months outside of breeding season.
- We may also need to take red squirrels into account when planning work on trees.
- We don't prune or remove trees to improve television reception.