Tree Surveys & Reports.
The Right Advice For The Actual Problem.

A tree survey is a structured inspection and record of trees for a defined purpose. The information collected depends on the instruction: a planning survey records BS5837 data and constraints, a safety survey focuses on condition and risk, and a mortgage or property survey focuses on the relationship between trees and the property.

A tree report is the written professional output that explains the survey findings, limitations, conclusions and recommendations. Some jobs need a survey schedule and plan; others need a fuller report, impact assessment, method statement, safety report or specialist diagnostic interpretation.

The survey is the inspection and evidence-gathering stage. The report is the professional interpretation and communication of that evidence. On many projects the two are commissioned together.

That depends on why the survey has been requested. Planning applications commonly need BS5837 work; lenders and insurers may request a property report; tree owners may need a health and safety inspection; and suspected decay, roots or subsidence may need specialist investigation.

Yes. Send the validation requirement, planning condition, decision notice or email from the planning officer. The wording is usually more useful than trying to choose a technical report name yourself.

Where trees on or near a site could influence a proposed development, the planning authority may require tree information prepared in accordance with BS5837. The exact documents depend on the proposal and stage of the project.

Depending on the project, the sequence can include a tree survey and schedule, Tree Constraints Plan, Arboricultural Impact Assessment, Tree Protection Plan, Arboricultural Method Statement and arboricultural supervision.

A Tree Constraints Plan translates survey data into mapped constraints such as tree positions, crowns and Root Protection Areas so the design team can understand the space that retained trees need.

An AIA considers how a proposed design affects retained trees and how tree-related constraints interact with buildings, access, levels, surfacing, services, demolition and other works.

A Tree Protection Plan is the drawing that shows how retained trees are to be protected during demolition and construction, including protective barriers, controlled working areas and other measures where required.

An AMS explains how sensitive operations near retained trees will be carried out, including sequencing, access, excavation, surfacing, services, demolition or other project-specific methods.

Arboricultural supervision is consultant attendance or monitoring during specified construction operations where the planning condition, approved documents or site circumstances require professional oversight and records.

Yes. Send the exact condition wording and approved drawings. The consultant can identify whether the authority is asking for an AMS, TPP, supervision, updated information or another arboricultural submission.

Yes. Building Control or warranty-related tree surveys can provide relevant vegetation information for the design team where foundation depth, shrinkable soil and nearby trees need to be considered.

Yes. Mortgage and pre-purchase reports can address tree condition, direct damage, potential indirect damage, neighbouring vegetation and practical management where a lender, insurer or building surveyor has raised trees.

Yes. If an insurer has asked for an arboricultural report, send the exact wording so the scope can be matched to the question being asked. Existing structural movement may require a separate subsidence investigation.

Yes. Suspected tree-related subsidence is a different investigation from a standard mortgage report and should be considered alongside the available structural, monitoring, soil, foundation, drainage and root evidence.

Yes. Condition and safety surveys can cover individual trees, groups or larger sites and can help owners and duty holders prioritise inspection, management and further investigation.

Homeowners, schools, estates, landlords, commercial sites, managing agents, charities and other landowners may need proportionate tree-inspection arrangements depending on occupancy, tree stock and foreseeable risk.

A condition-focused survey can record species, dimensions, vitality, significant defects, structural condition, visible fungal features, targets, management priorities and recommendations appropriate to the scope.

Where a specific defect or internal condition cannot be resolved visually, a consultant may recommend targeted diagnostic work such as sonic tomography, Resistograph testing, root investigation or another proportionate method.

Sonic tomography uses sensors around a stem to measure sound transmission and build an image that can assist the assessment of suspected internal decay or structural condition.

Resistograph testing uses a fine drilling needle to record changes in resistance through wood. It can provide targeted information about cavities, decay or changes in wood condition.

An Air Spade uses compressed air to move soil with less mechanical damage to woody roots than conventional digging. It can be useful where actual root location or root condition needs to be investigated.

Vitality testing can provide physiological evidence about how actively a tree is functioning. It is most useful where that information answers a specific management, establishment or diagnostic question.

Yes. Arbor Cultural provides independent advice for TPO applications, Conservation Area matters, objections, proposed works and evidence where protected trees are involved.

Where the proposed work and statutory position require it, Arbor Cultural can advise on the appropriate tree-work notification or application route and the supporting arboricultural information.

Yes. High hedge consultancy can assess qualifying evergreen or semi-evergreen hedges, relevant measurements and the technical information used in the local-authority complaint process.

Yes. Complex disputes and litigation may require independent expert evidence rather than a standard tree survey. The scope should be agreed from the actual legal or technical instruction.

No. Arbor Cultural is an arboricultural consultancy rather than a tree-surgery contractor. The company provides surveys, reports, diagnostic testing and professional advice rather than selling pruning or felling work.

Separating consultancy from contracting helps keep the recommendation focused on the evidence and the client's actual problem rather than on generating follow-on tree-work income.

Arboricultural reports are prepared and reviewed within Arbor Cultural's consultancy team. The appropriate consultant depends on the service, complexity and specialist evidence required.

Send the site or property location, explain what prompted the enquiry and attach any useful council letter, planning condition, drawings, lender or insurer wording, building survey, photographs or existing tree report.

No. You do not need technical tree knowledge to ask for a quote. Clear photographs, the site address and the wording from the organisation requesting the report are normally more useful.

Relevant off-site trees can often be considered where they may influence planning, property, safety or root-related questions. Access and visibility limitations are recorded where necessary.

Yes. A planning project can move from survey and constraints information to impact assessment, protection planning, method statements and supervision. Property and diagnostic cases can also move into more specialist work if new evidence is needed.

Fees depend on the survey purpose, number of trees, site size, access, location, drawing quality, reporting complexity and specialist testing required. Arbor Cultural reviews the scope and provides a fixed-fee proposal before instruction.

No. A one-tree property report and a multi-stage development package are fundamentally different instructions. The quote is based on the work actually required rather than forcing every enquiry into one generic price.

Turnaround depends on location, access, survey type, current workload and the complexity of the deliverables. Add any genuine planning, exchange, construction or insurer deadline to the enquiry so availability can be confirmed.

Sometimes. Existing information can be reviewed for age, scope, quality, site changes and compatibility with the current project. If it is no longer reliable, an updated survey may be recommended.

They can include relevant trees outside the site boundary where the purpose of the survey requires them and they can be reasonably assessed. The extent should be proportionate to the instruction.

Planning work can use suitable topographical or design information so tree constraints and project relationships can be communicated spatially. The required base information depends on the deliverable.

In BS5837 planning work, the Root Protection Area is a calculated area associated with a tree that is used to inform design and protection. It is one planning constraint, not a literal map of every root.

BS5837 uses categories to communicate the quality and value of trees in a planning context. The categories help the design team and planning authority understand which trees are more or less significant constraints.

Only where removal is justified by the purpose and evidence of the instruction. Many reports recommend retention, monitoring, pruning, design changes or further investigation instead.

Yes. Tree condition, safety and management surveys can be scoped for schools, estates, commercial property, managing agents and other organisations responsible for larger tree populations.

Yes. Some instructions concern one tree; others involve hundreds. The correct method and report should match the decision that needs to be made.

Yes. A pre-purchase or mortgage tree report can provide professional information about relevant trees before exchange, whether or not the lender has formally required it.

Yes. Arbor Cultural works across Greater London, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, with individual project coverage depending on the service.

A consultant reviews the purpose of the enquiry and the information supplied, identifies the likely scope, asks for anything essential that is missing and provides a proposal for the appropriate service.