Essential Details of the Process of Conducting Tree Surveys

Essential Details of the Process of Conducting Tree Surveys

When it comes to trees on any landowner’s property, it is important to remember that the person has a legal duty to protect said trees in any way possible. That is especially the case for lands that are open to the public, i.e. for public gardens and parks. It is important to assess any risks and hazards so that public safety can be guaranteed.

The way to obtain data on the trees in a given area is to do a tree survey. This is a way of examining trees and accumulating information on the trees there, concerning age, species and number of trees, as well as the presence of any diseases and pests. As part of a health survey, examiners collect the data on trees and draw up plans to remedy the situation.

As far as construction and development are concerned, tree surveys are needed to provide the BS5837: 2012 guidelines that outline what measures should be taken to preserve them during the process. All tree surveys require a professional company to conduct them, to be eligible and informative. Even though there are some small differences in the way, which companies conduct tree surveys, most of them follow the same frame: 

Pre-planning – in this phase, the experts of the company will map out the area to be surveyed. They do this, to ensure they include every tree in the area, for more thorough results. This is very important, especially when the tree survey aims to detect pests and diseases. If the land is particularly large, the experts will follow some strategies to divide it:

Line transects – this plan uses a series of transect lines, all of which are evenly spaced. The experts go along each line and examine the trees on the left and right of it.  Quarter point transects – starting from a singular tree, experts move north, west, south and east, surveying the trees along these four lines.  Quarter point transects – by beginning their examination from a single tree, experts move north, west, east and south, surveying the trees along these lines.  Full survey – this comprehensive method aims to examine every tree within the given area. Aa Ground-level surveys – in almost all cases, experts can carry out the inspection work from the ground. Sometimes, however, they may need to get on a higher level, to gain access to the crown of the tree, or see if there are any cavities in the trunk above ground. That is when they use special equipment for the job.

Getting into the finer details of the survey – other than the information described previously, tree surveys also need to list the important details, such as species, location and coordinates. Age is also a consideration that tree survey experts take into account. The condition of each tree can then determined, ranging from good and bad. The experts also check the conditions of the tree roots and note the presence of ivy and fungus.

Preparing the Arboricultural Impact Assessment – when the experts have gathered all of the necessary data, they will do an Arboricultural Impact Assessment. This features all of the recommendations on what trees are to be removed and what replacements can be made. These recommendations follow the BS5837:2012 standard. Tree reports also need to include all relevant information on pests and diseases that are currently present in the area. Once that is done, the report will conclude which parcels of the land contain a number of trees with problems and what can be done to amend the situation. 

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