Tree Surveys

Information about tree surveys

When a tree survey may be needed

A tree survey may be useful if you own land, manage a site, are planning building work, or need a clearer understanding of the trees on your property.

Tree surveys are commonly used for:

• Tree safety reports
• Tree hazard assessment surveys
• Development and planning projects
• Land purchases and property assessments
• Tree management plans
• Identifying remedial tree work
• Assessing trees with suspected decay, disease or structural defects

What a tree survey can include

A tree survey can help identify the species, age, condition and type of trees on a site. It can also record visible defects and highlight any work that may be needed to manage safety, access, tree health or future development.

Depending on the site and the reason for the survey, recommendations may include deadwood removal, crown reduction, further inspection, monitoring, pest and disease diagnosis, or safe tree removal where a tree presents an unacceptable risk.

Where trees are suspected of being hazardous, further investigation may be recommended, including internal decay detection, climbing inspections, thermal imaging or other specialist assessment methods where appropriate.

Tree surveys for safety and management

A tree survey can help define clear management objectives, balancing tree conservation with safety and practical site use.

This is useful for homeowners, landowners, schools, commercial properties, local authorities, parish councils and anyone responsible for trees in areas used by people, vehicles or the public.

The survey can help prioritise work, plan budgets, support ongoing maintenance and reduce the risk of overlooking trees that may need attention.

BS5837 tree surveys

Norfolk Trees can also assist with BS5837 tree surveys for planning and development projects.

British Standard BS5837 provides guidance on trees in relation to design, demolition and construction. It helps identify which trees should be retained, how they should be protected and how trees may influence development plans.

BS5837 surveys are commonly used by planners, developers, architects, engineers and landowners where trees may be affected by proposed construction or site changes.

When tree surveys are best carried out

Tree surveys can be carried out at different times of year, depending on the reason for the inspection.

For some tree health concerns, late September through to the end of October can be useful because fungal fruiting bodies are more likely to be visible. These can help with pest and disease diagnosis and the identification of decay-related issues.

However, safety concerns, planning requirements and urgent tree inspections should not be delayed unnecessarily if there is a clear need for assessment.

Professional tree surveys by Norfolk Trees

Norfolk Trees was established in 2002 by Ashley Barnes and operates throughout Norfolk and East Anglia. Our team is fully qualified for the work they undertake and has experience across all aspects of tree care, tree safety and tree management.

Our work includes dismantling, felling, crown lifting, crown reductions, dead wood removal, formative pruning, tree surveys to BS5837, tree hazard reports, pest and disease diagnosis, bat inspections, stump grinding or treating and tree planting.

Clients can be confident in the quality of our work. Norfolk Trees holds £10,000,000 public liability insurance and all work is carried out to BS3998:2010.

In addition to domestic tree work, we undertake commercial work for local authorities, parish councils and other organisations, including the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, Breckland Council, Serco, South Norfolk Council, Broadland Council, NCC Highways, KierMG and Anglian Water, along with numerous other clients.

We are also approved by the Norfolk County Council, and are CHAS Accredited through the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme.