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Tree Management Policy 2025 - Level of inspection
Personnel
Level 1 – Informal inspection: Carried out by a member of staff or contractor with a basic understanding of trees. Because of their training, experience and site knowledge, they will be able to notice common defects and abnormal growth in trees and will understand how to pass on their concerns to more experienced personnel. Inspections will be aided by using a probe, nylon-faced mallet and binoculars.
Level 2 - Formal inspection: The inspector will visit the tree(s) for the specific purposes of performing an inspection. The inspector will be a competent person with training, including tree risk management, and experience managing trees for safety balanced with other site-specific requirements. Inspections will be aided by using a probe, nylon-faced mallet and binoculars. Resulting recommendations may include the use of a more detailed inspection e.g. where the extent of decay may require further assessment by a person with a higher level of arboricultural qualifications.
Level 3 - Detailed inspection: May be required to provide assessment of decay or tree stability by using specialist equipment e.g. resistograph or tomography. This level of inspection will usually be reserved for high value trees in areas with high occupancy; it would be grossly disproportionate to apply it beyond this due to the lack of benefit in overall risk reduction. Experts should be selected from the Arboricultural Association’s list of Registered Consultants
Training
Those carrying out formal, recorded inspection of trees will be required to demonstrate competence appropriate to the level of inspection. As a minimum, staff and contractors with this responsibility will hold the following certificates and/or qualifications as appropriate to the level of inspection:
Level 1 - Informal inspection: LANTRA Basic Tree Inspection certificate.
Level 2 – Formal inspection: LANTRA Professional Tree Inspection certificate and/or a certified Quantified Tree Risk Assessment user (QTRA).
Level 3 - Detailed inspection: Level 6 Arboriculture e.g. BSc or Professional Diploma, LANTRA Professional Tree Inspection.I'm not sure I ca
All members of staff and contractors with responsibility for surveying trees must undertake refresher training and/or continuing professional development in the field of arboriculture.
Copies of certificates of competency and records of attendance at training courses must be held on record. The tree inspector will record their initials for each inspection made.
Note: All external contractors and consultants must hold Professional Indemnity Insurance. The Council will retain the documentation according to our duties under the GDPR Act and our Retention Policy.
| Occupancy Zone | Example Site Characteristics | Frequency of Inspection | Level of Inspection |
|---|---|---|---|
| High |
Frequently occupied. Within falling distance of property. Beside roads with high occupancy, railways, trees adjacent to play areas/sports facilities, property or car parks. Mature or over-mature trees. |
Every 30-36 months and after F8 or above winds and/or heavy snow (Steer taken from Cavanagh v Witley Parish Council allowing for trees to be Every 18 months for high value trees and species more prone to wind
|
Routine Level 2 inspection (Poll v Bartholomew and Government Circular 52/75). Walkover Level 1 inspection after bad weather.
|
| Medium |
Adjacent to footpaths in parks or Occupation may be influenced by weather. Early-mature to mature tree population. |
Every 5 years. |
Level 1 – Informal inspection. Level 2 – Competent |
| Low |
Infrequent public access and no Early-mature tree population. |
No formal inspection needed unless circumstances change such as new public areas, paths, roads or housing (although not presenting significant risk while early-mature, periodic inspection will allow formative pruning to be specified thereby reducing risk in longer term.) | Level 1 if needed for example reviewing a woodland management plan. |
Recording
All inspection records must be retained to evidence that trees have been subject to systematic inspection. Should an accident occur, the burden of proof to provide this information is on the duty-holder. As a local authority, inspections should be captured using a GIS digital recording platform, with records created electronically on site (NTSG ‘Reasonable, Balanced Tree Safety Management’ table for rural local authority) and records stored in a central database. The Council adopted the use of a tree management system in late 2018. This provides digital inspection records for trees and sites. Records must be kept for at least seven years.
Formal records
It is not necessary to plot and record every tree as part of an inspection (SIM 01/2007/05 Appendix 1). It is necessary to make a formal record of a tree if it needs a detailed inspection. It is acceptable to record groups of trees with no significant defects, making reference to their general characteristics and condition. Where it is decided to retain a tree with structural defects, a record must be made that includes a recommendation for remedial action and any deviation from the standard inspection interval.