When planning a building near trees, the local Council usually want a tree Report. This type of survey should be written in line with BS5837:2012.
These surveys are important for checking proposed building plans. They help decide if trees should stay or go, making sure saved trees are safe during construction.
BS5837:2012 reports usually have three main parts. Each part has a specific job in assessing and managing trees for new building projects.
BS5837:2012
Initial Tree Survey
The Initial planning Tree Survey looks at all the trees on the site, including their:
• Type / Name / Species. • Size / Height / Radial Canopy Spread. • Condition / Health And Age.
The goal is to understand the trees on the site and their value. We give each tree a grade on the Tree Constraints Plan, shown with colors. We might also give early advice on tree care or safety at this point.
The Tree Constraints Plan is a key part of the report. It shows how existing trees may limit the planned building work. The plan shows: • Tree Canopies. • Root Protection Areas. • Retention Categories.
We use AutoCAD to create this plan, making it easy for the client or Architect to add to their planning drawings.
Arboricultural Impact Assessment: This part looks at how a new building might affect the existing trees. It will suggests ways to manage them. It checks things like disturbing roots, soil changes, and how close the building might get to the tree's roots or branches. The goal is to keep trees safe when possible and give advice on how to protect them during construction.
The Preliminary Tree Protection Plan in the report shows the planned building work. It marks which trees to remove and which will stay. It lists steps to protect the retained trees, like fencing and ground cover. This plan makes sure important trees protected during construction.
This report is meant to go with a planning application that involves trees. It tells the Local Council which trees will be removed out and which will stay.
It suggests ways to protect the kept trees. The Local Planning Authority can look over the report and ask for changes if needed. After approval, we can make an Arboricultural Method Statement and a Final Tree Protection Plan. These detail how to protect the trees during construction.
The Arboricultural Method Statement is a detailed guide for how to work with trees during the project. It shows each step of the project and stresses the need to protect trees. It gives exact ways to do this, especially for tricky tasks like building near tree roots or digging close to trees. This statement makes sure the project is done in a way that keeps the trees healthy and safe.
The Final Tree Protection Plan in this report is similar to the initial plan. It will likely have some changes due to updates in the project or new protection methods. We might also tweak details based on feedback from the Local Council. This makes sure the final plan matches any needed changes, keeping the project on track while addressing council concerns.
After getting permission to build, it's common to work with an Arboricultural Consultant. How much they help depends on the project's size, the number of trees, and how they might be affected. They might meet with the tree officer before starting and watch over digging near tree roots.
The consultant also checks tree protection barriers during long projects. We keep records of each visit and show them to the Local Planning Authority and the client to prove we're following the plan. This ongoing teamwork ensures that tree protection measures are followed, keeping the trees safe as planned.