Tree safety surveys &
tree risk management

Brickhouse is a 125 hectare estate in East Sussex. The owners asked us to assess their tree safety and produce a Tree Risk Management Plan to fulfil their legal obligations and duty of care. Our Lantra trained tree inspector, Josh Diplock, carried out a comprehensive survey of the site. He identified and marked any tree that posed an unacceptable level of risk and produced a detailed table of recommendations to classify the type of threat, level of risk, required actions and an associated map locating each tree.

The legal perspective…

Case law in Britain relating to tree-risk management is altering the legal perspective of land owner’s responsibilities. With increasing new threats like Ash Dieback, trees close to public access or buildings require particular attention to ensure that reasonable actions are taken to secure the protection of people and physical assets.

Longer-term tree risk management…

Our tree risk survey could serve as a stand-alone document but was enhanced by a longer-term tree risk management plan (TRMP). This includes a system of ‘zoning’ which divides the estate into sections that determine the frequency or urgency of tree risk monitoring and any remedial action required in each zone over time. The plan provides an auditable trail to demonstrate that responsible actions have been taken.

A rolling programme…

The plan also serves as a rolling programme that can be continually updated enabling the landowner to focus their resources on tree risk most efficiently. This Tree Risk management plan helped the owners to combine their tree risk work into their overall woodland management plan and other operational activity.

Key Services

Fully trained tree-risk staff with knowledge of local and wider threats
Production of cost-effective tree risk surveys and management plans
Comprehensive completion of tree remedial works
Ensuring that tree risk management is well balanced with other estate/woodland objectives.
Helping owners to ensure they are acting legally and responsibly.