Owning land populated by trees, especially land that is frequented by the general public or private employees, comes with a certain amount of legal responsibility. You’ll need to ensure trees do not pose a risk, which means keeping them well maintained and free from disease and structural defects. But considering how often subtle signs of disease within particular species can be, how do you go about fulfilling this legal responsibility? This is where W.J. Kent Tree Consultants, covering Sutton and the wider Surrey area, come in.
We carry out initial tree surveys for new land owners, detailed arboricultural reports including Arboricultural Impact Assessments (if you are considering developing areas of your land), and tree inspections / tree safety inspections to diagnose the health and condition of individual trees or small outcroppings that either a) are showing signs of ill health, or b) haven’t been checked on by a qualified arboriculturalist for some time. It doesn’t matter the size of your land or the type/number of trees you have, Sutton clients in need of independent, clear advice should contact us at their earliest convenience.
Some of the most popular services we provide in the Sutton area are tree surveys, Arboricultural Impact Assessments and tree inspection / tree safety inspection with the view of calculating a quantifiable risk factor. It’s this latter service we’ve looked to detail below.
What’s Involved in a Tree Safety Inspection?
Advice around risk and hazard management also relates to other arboricultural reports we conduct for clients in and around Sutton – for example, the aforementioned Arboricultural Impact Assessments that prefigure development works on wooded land.
Quantifying RiskThe tree safety inspection assessment process involves us considering the size of the defective element of the tree e.g an entire bough, portion of the crown, or even trunk itself. A score between 1 and 4 is used to signal size of defective portion of tree.
The second consideration is probability of causing damage to property or bodily harm to a person. It ranges from 1 (a minor defect highly unlikely to cause an issue), to 64 (an issue requiring urgent attention, due to posing an imminent threat to people or property).
The third key thing we consider when conducting a tree safety inspection / tree inspection is how frequently the area is accessed by persons on your property. Again, this is rated between 1 and 4 (very rarely, to daily).
Considering these factors as a whole, we can provide Sutton clients with an overall risk rating, which is an essential aspect of oversight and the legal responsibilities of a land owner; they’re also an essential factor within many types of agricultural reports – including many Arboricultural Impact Assessments where trees will be very close by access routes or publically accessed property.
Having undergone a tree safety inspection or tree survey to obtain risk ratings, you’ll receive recommendations for actions you can take to minimise or remove the highlighted risk factors. As an independent, fair evaluator – W.J. Kent Tree Consultants’ advice is obviously not legally binding, but should be taken seriously.
However, in cases where a tree, due to disease or serious structural faults, threatens nearby protected species (flora/fauna) e.g via a Tree Protection Order, we will inform the client of their need to act proactively, due to potential for legal culpability, and the fines and court action that come with it!
