Tree Surveys & Risk assessment
Why do you need to think about managing trees?
Tree management is the responsibility of the owners and managers of the land on which they grow. What this entails is determined by the owners’ objectives; these might be proactive to meet prescribed goals, or reactive, low intervention aims to leave trees in as near natural state as possible.
There are many different types of landowner and trees grow in many different environments so and there can be a multitude of management objectives. However, all have legal duties for the health and safety of those on or near the land that could be effected by a falling tree or branch and have to take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions that cause a reasonably foreseeable risk of injury to persons or property. One of the easiest ways to discharge the duty of care in the first instance is to seek professional advice on tree management or tree risk management.
We have an abundance of experience in guiding tree owners on how to manage the trees and/or discharge the duty of care, ranging from the public sector with vast tree stocks to single trees in private gardens.
Tree Risk
The risks from trees are very low, and guidance on how to quantify or manage risk can be found in ‘Common sense risk management of trees’ from NTSG (https://ntsgroup.org.uk[). We can advise on ways to achieve this or just provide services to survey trees in accordance with your own systems. As a default we subscribe to Quantified Tree Risk Assessment (www.QTRA.co.uk) and are licensed users. This is a led approach that can be an efficient way to quantify risk, particularly for larger tree stocks and means that we may be able to reduce levels of intervention management to areas where there is a clearly elevated risk of harm. Documenting the process in a report can be evidence that a tree owner can use to show they have taken reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions that cause a reasonably foreseeable risk of injury to persons or property. This can be a standalone process or used in combination with a tree health survey to prioritise works recommendations.
Tree Health & Safety
We can survey trees to check for pests and disease and/or structural issues to inform management recommendations and plans. This process is to identify features or ‘defects’ which are defined as a tree structural, health or environmental condition that could predispose it to failure with an associated risk of harm within the survey period. An ‘obvious defect’ is defined as a feature of such prominence that most persons (specialised or otherwise) would recognise it. We can use this information with a risk assessment to prioritise works. Works would be recommended to reduce risk of harm to as low as reasonably possible if appropriate, to abate nuisance or in interests of good arboricultural practice subject to client objectives.
We would first discuss what you require and why so that we can clarify the objectives and terms of reference. Following instruction, we site to visually look at the trees as a minimum. Depending on the objectives, the level of survey could range from every single tree being surveyed in detail individually or a more generalized walkover survey which would require us to be able to view the trees from at least two sides and look for gross defects within a tree population.
Tree Preservation Orders and Conservation Areas?
Trees can have statutory legal protection under the Town and Country Planning Act (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tree-preservation-orders-and-trees-in-conservation-areas ) and you might need professional advice and/or supporting documents for an application to carryout recommended tree works. This might mean using the report document based on the survey or risk assessment or our more bespoke reports to make an evidence-based application.
If you think we might be able to help with your tree management or you would like to know more just call the office.
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