If the tree poses imminent danger – Guide from Glasgow’s professional tree removers
Call 999 for a tree related emergency that needs an immediate response, such as someone trapped beneath a fallen tree or a road obstruction putting traffic in imminent danger.
Nobody needs to have been injured for the situation to be an emergency.
For a fallen tree on a local road without immediate danger, contact the council’s roads service.
For a trunk road or motorway, contact Traffic Scotland on 0800 028 1414.
Police Scotland’s 101 number is for non-emergency policing matters, not the default route for every fallen tree.
If a tree has fallen onto railway land or is at imminent risk of doing so, call Network Rail’s 24-hour emergency helpline on 03457 11 41 41.
Do not enter the railway to investigate or clear it.
If branches are touching or have damaged overhead power lines, stay well back and call 105 to reach the electricity network operator.
Call 999 as well if there is an immediate threat to life.
Keep people, pets and vehicles clear until help arrives, and don’t try to drag or cut anything yourself.
What counts as a dangerous tree
A tree may present a hazard if a branch or the trunk could fail and strike people or property.
Some warning signs can be seen from the ground, but not every weakness is visible.
Hanging or broken branches, a split trunk, movement around the roots or a sudden lean after high wind are reasons to seek a professional assessment.
Fungal growth can also warrant investigation, but it does not automatically mean a tree is unsafe.
Risk depends on the condition of the tree and what could be struck if it fails.
Internal decay can leave a tree looking sound from the pavement, so our guide to how to tell if a tree is dead or dying goes through the warning signs in more detail.
Working out who owns the tree
For a non-emergency report, establish who owns or manages the land where the tree stands.
The landowner normally has the main responsibility, although management duties may be shared or assigned to someone else.
A tree in a park, cemetery or street verge may be council owned, but location alone does not establish ownership.
A tenant or other occupier does not necessarily own a tree in their garden, so they should check with the landlord.
Transport Scotland is responsible for the trunk-road network, and Network Rail manages much of the railway infrastructure.
On an estate, a factor may arrange maintenance for the owners without owning the grounds. Check the management arrangements before assuming who must act.
The council’s trees team may be able to confirm whether a tree stands on council owned land.
Registers of Scotland’s ScotLIS service can help identify registered titles, but some ownership enquiries require a search of the older Sasine Register.
Scotland has 32 councils, rather than the separate county council and district council tiers found in parts of England.
Your local authority handles services such as planning and local roads, while trunk roads have separate arrangements.
How to report a tree on council land in Scotland
Council owned trees in parks, cemeteries and streets should be reported through the relevant council’s tree or grounds-maintenance service.
Glasgow City Council, South Lanarkshire Council and other authorities have their own reporting routes. Council tenants may need to contact their housing office about garden trees.
For urgent concerns, use the council’s published telephone or out-of-hours number rather than relying on an online form.
South Lanarkshire directs urgent tree reports to 0303 123 1020, or 0800 242024 out of hours.
Give the exact location, either a street name with the nearest house number or a what3words address for open land, and describe what is wrong.
A photo taken safely from a distance helps, and so does mentioning if the tree overhangs a pavement, playground or school entrance.
The tree’s condition and the people or property at risk help the council assess urgency.
Dangerous trees beside the highway and footpaths
Report obstructing branches over a pavement or a tree threatening a carriageway to the council’s roads service, or through Traffic Scotland for a trunk road. Immediate danger still needs an emergency response.
Under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, a roads authority can serve notice on the owner of a tree or hedge that endangers or obstructs a road, and can carry out the work itself and recover the cost if the owner does nothing.
Overgrown vegetation hiding a junction or narrowing a roadside footpath can be reported through the same routes.
How urgently it needs attention depends on the danger it presents.
Reporting trees on private land
Trees in private gardens and on other privately owned land are normally the landowner’s responsibility.
An owner may be liable for injury or damage caused by a tree, but that depends on the circumstances, including whether the harm was reasonably foreseeable and reasonable care was taken.
Start with a conversation, then follow it with a short letter and a dated photo so there’s a record that you notified them.
If they ignore it and the tree threatens a public road or path, the council can act under its roads powers.
Scottish councils do not have a general power to require owners to remove dangerous private trees.
The dangerous-tree powers in the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 apply in England and Wales, not Scotland.
Overhanging branches and your neighbour’s tree
Overhanging branches are not automatically an emergency.
You generally have a common law right to cut back growth to your boundary, but tree protection and wildlife rules still apply.
Get advice before cutting if the work could destabilise or seriously damage the tree.
If roots encroach beneath a wall or drain, discuss your concerns with the owner and contact your insurer if damage has occurred.
Shading is a separate issue: Scotland has no general right to light, and whether a nuisance or other legal claim exists depends on the facts.
The High Hedges (Scotland) Act 2013 can apply to a hedge formed wholly or mainly by a row of two or more trees or shrubs, over two metres high and forming a barrier to light.
A single tree does not qualify.
You must take reasonable steps to resolve the dispute before applying to the council, which will assess whether action is justified.
Tree preservation orders and conservation areas
Trees protected by a tree preservation order (TPO) normally need the council’s consent before pruning or felling. TPOs can cover a single tree, groups of trees or whole woodland.
Proposed work to trees in conservation areas generally requires six weeks’ notice to the planning authority, although exceptions apply.
Check the requirements before you carry out work to trees within a conservation area.
Work urgently necessary in the interests of safety may be exempt, but describing a tree as dangerous does not automatically justify removing it.
Notify the planning authority as soon as possible and keep evidence of the condition and why the work was necessary.
Where action cannot wait, emergency work should be limited to addressing the immediate threat.
Wildlife such as bats and nesting birds is protected too, so bats and tree work in Scotland is worth reading before anyone starts cutting.
Inspection and what happens after you report a tree
The council will assess the report under its own procedures, including whether the tree is its responsibility and whether an inspection is needed.
Depending on the findings, it may arrange work to prune or fell the tree, monitor it or decide that no work is needed.
Routine work may be included in a programme for the management and maintenance of trees on council land. This does not guarantee a visit on a particular date, so ask what response to expect and keep your report reference.
Many councils will not prune a tree simply because of leaf fall, sap or a lost view; check the local policy. Height alone does not establish that a tree is dangerous.
If you receive no response to a safety report, quote your reference number, chase in writing and, if necessary, use the council’s complaints process.
Report any deterioration promptly rather than waiting for a routine follow-up.
Trees in TPOs and conservation areas may need replaced after licensed removal, and our team can help plant trees once safety is restored.
When a tree surgeon should look at a tree
If the tree is yours, or you manage the land it stands on, the next call is to a qualified tree surgeon, and our guide to choosing a tree surgeon in Glasgow explains what to look for.
Ask any contractor for qualifications relevant to the proposed work and evidence of insurance. Our crews can show their NPTC certificates, including the relevant Level 3 award in aerial tree rigging.
Work near roads needs suitable controls to protect road users.
If power lines are nearby, contact the electricity network operator before arranging the work.
The operator must be involved in planning how it can be done safely, including whether the supply needs to be isolated; climbing or rigging qualifications alone are not enough.
After a gale, our page on storm damage tree removal covers what we do with split and uprooted trees.
Dangerous tree questions answered
Are councils responsible for trees overhanging my property?
The council normally manages its own trees, while privately owned trees remain the responsibility of the relevant owner or land manager. Overhanging branches alone do not mean the council must prune a council tree, and its powers to intervene over private trees are limited.
Can I cut down a tree in my garden?
You may be able to, but ownership alone is not enough. Check for a TPO, conservation-area restrictions, planning conditions and protected wildlife. Trees in qualifying gardens are exempt from Scottish Forestry’s felling-permission requirement, but other protections still apply.
How far does a tree need to be from a house for insurance?
There is no universal tree-to-house distance that determines insurance cover. Answer your insurer’s questions accurately and check the policy terms. If you are unsure whether a nearby tree needs declaring, ask the insurer rather than relying on a rule based on its height.
How quickly will the council respond?
Response times depend on the council’s procedures, the reported risk and current demand, particularly after storms. Check any published guidance or ask when to expect an update. If the situation becomes an immediate emergency, call 999 rather than waiting for the council’s routine response.
Worried about a tree on your own land? Talk to GGM Landscapomg today
If the tree belongs to you and you’re not sure whether it’s a risk, our qualified tree surgeons will assess it and tell you plainly what needs doing, across Glasgow, Lanarkshire and the Central Belt.
We restore safety to areas, surroundings, and people through careful tree removal services.
Book your free survey or contact us on 07946 322717 and describe the tree, and we’ll advise on whether it needs attention straight away.