From the chaotic regions of the Cryptosphere, "Top Cat"
wrote on Sat, 28 Sep 2002 13:25:14 +0100:

I've got a very large Silver Birch tree just outside my boundary. It's on a
council owned verge

IANAL (or a tree expert), but some trees can have preservation orders
on them. If they are in a conservation area, this is de-facto a
preservation order. Any work on these trees needs Council (planning)
permission.

If it's an established tree which adds character to a street scene or
was included in the original landscaping of the estate, then even
without a TPO, it might be difficult to persuade the Council (highways
or parks) to remove it. They may be more amenable to pruning[1] it.

[1] Is that the right term? As mentioned above, IANAtreeexpert.
--
Hugo Nebula
"You know, I'd rather see this on TV,
Tones it down" - Laurie Anderson