A tree risk assessment is a structured inspection of your trees by a qualified surveyor, written up in a report you can act on and keep. The surveyor examines each tree for defects, weighs how likely failure is against what or who is underneath, and recommends proportionate action only where it is needed. The report also sets a reinspection interval and gives you a dated record showing you have taken reasonable care of your trees. For most trees the outcome is simple: no work needed, look again at the stated interval.
The inspection
Our surveyors assess each tree from the ground, working from the base upwards and looking at the tree in its setting rather than in isolation. Typically that covers:
- Roots and base: fungal fruiting bodies, soil disturbance or heave, damage from excavation or compaction.
- Stem: cavities, cracks, decay, wounds, and weak unions where major limbs meet.
- Crown: deadwood, hanging or snapped branches, dieback, and how the weight of the crown is carried.
- The target: what would actually be affected if part of the tree failed. A footpath, a playground, a car park and a quiet field corner are very different situations.
That last point matters most. Risk is never just about the defect. It is the combination of a defect, the chance of failure and what is beneath the tree.
Defects and risk-based recommendations
Finding a defect does not mean the tree comes down. Most defects are managed, not removed. The same hollow stem might justify prompt work over a busy entrance and nothing more than monitoring at the back of a paddock. A good report says clearly what was found, what it means in that location, and what to do about it, ranked by urgency.
Recommendations are kept proportionate: often no action, sometimes deadwood removal or a crown reduction, occasionally felling where nothing less will make the tree acceptably safe. Because the findings are what the trees need, you should never see a report padded with unnecessary work.
One caution before acting on any recommendation: if a tree is protected, the work itself needs permission. Trees under a Tree Preservation Order need council consent, and works to trees in a conservation area need six weeks written notice to the council. Penalties for unauthorised works on protected trees can include unlimited fines, so check with your council first. Our free checker at /is-my-tree-protected/ reads the national planning dataset and gives an indicative answer in seconds, though the council register is always definitive.
Reinspection intervals and records
Every report states when the trees should next be looked at. Higher risk situations get shorter intervals; low risk trees in quiet locations can go longer between visits. The interval is part of the assessment, not an afterthought, and diarising it is how tree management stays managed rather than reactive.
Keep the report. A dated inspection record, together with evidence that you acted on its recommendations, is the practical backbone of responsible tree ownership. If something is ever questioned later, a written trail of inspections and actions shows you took reasonable steps at the time.
Who needs one, and what the duty of care means
Landowners owe a duty of care for their trees. A tree belongs to the land its trunk stands on, so if it stands on your land, it is your responsibility. In practice that duty is discharged by doing reasonable, proportionate things: having trees inspected by someone competent at sensible intervals, acting on what the inspection finds, and keeping records of both. This is general information, not legal advice.
The people who most commonly need a formal tree risk assessment are:
- Schools and nurseries, where children play under and around trees daily.
- Landlords and letting agents, responsible for trees at properties they do not visit often.
- Businesses with trees over car parks, entrances, seating areas or neighbouring land.
- Homeowners with large or mature trees, particularly near the house, the highway or a boundary.
An independent report you can take anywhere
Our assessments are priced and delivered on their own terms. The findings are what the trees need, nothing more, and the report is yours: you are free to take it to any contractor you choose. Our survey work is backed by £1m professional indemnity insurance. If you would like us to carry out any recommended work, we can also do that as an ARB Approved Contractor (AC2637), but the report never depends on it.
If you are weighing up whether your trees need a formal assessment, use our free scope check at /tree-surveys/#survey-enquiry or call the office on 07884 274693. We quote within one working day, survey visits happen within days, not weeks, and the price we quote is the price you pay. We cover Preston, Lancashire and the North West.
