Reports

We can assist landowners, developers and builders with site tree surveys and impact assessments to the British Standard 5837:2012 'Trees in Relation to Construction.' This includes dealing with tree retention and protection, tree care, during works, site monitoring and management, and devising method statements to suit most situations. Reports are provided in bound format in the numbers required by the local planning authority. They can be forwarded to a client’s architect or engineer, and sent via email for merging with full proposals or as stand-alone documents.

Because trees can sometimes cause structural damage by root action, or limb failure and collapse; insurers, surveyors, lenders, and structural engineers frequently require tree owners to obtain specialist risk assessment reports and vegetation management plans. We can provide detailed reports covering trees and buildings for insurance and mortgage purposes at a level of detail to suit your budget and needs. Plus, details on tree safety, internal decay assessment and building damage mitigation advice can be added to the base document as required. Bartlett Consulting works with many of the country’s leading insurers and structural engineers, assisting in providing solutions to conflicts between trees and the built environment. This experience enables us to provide up-to-date, proactive guidance to our clients.

Trees and woodlands are assets that need careful management because they outlive human generations and evolve in complex, specific environments. Special consideration needs to be given to planting, maintaining, and managing tree stocks. We can undertake large-scale tree and woodland surveys, provide management programmes and maintenance advice, and develop budget strategies.

With the advent of the European Habitats Directive and countryside protection legislation, commercial property owners and managers must ensure that any works they do on their land do not damage habitats for protected species. Many such sites are closely related to trees, hedgerows, orchards, and woodlands. With our expertise in tree and woodland management, investigative surveys can be carried out, often alongside tree stock surveying, to ensure that landowners do not damage valuable habitat. Bartlett Consulting can undertake most arboreal and terrestrial surveys. For mammalian, invertebrate, and aquatic surveys, we have close links with one of Europe’s leading environmental consultancies, and can liaise between our client and these specialists to provide the appropriate consultation.

When trees are examined structurally, all investigations are made using non-invasive techniques. Should internal decay be suspected, a resistance micro-drill test could be carried out. A resistance micro-drill test is used to establish the internal structural integrity of an individual tree. The machine measures the resistance of the timber to the drill, and provides a graphic print out of the structure of the timber tested, providing information on levels of decay, unseen voids and types of wood decay. Evaluation of results provides an accurate assessment of structural integrity and thus the risk a tree may pose. This valuable information helps both consultant and tree owner decide on the safest and best outcome for the tree. Managers or owners of commercial properties that have high pedestrian traffic and where there is a need to ensure public safety should have their trees inspected regularly for decay and other problems to prevent failure that could lead to personal injury or property damage.

We can also provide a non-invasive decay testing service using a Sonic Tomograph device (Picus). During Picus testing, sensor pegs are driven into the bark to contact the cambial tissue beneath. Each sensor is stuck with a test hammer. Sensors pick up each blow on opposite sides of the test stem (sound travels fastest through solid wood and very slowly through decay). The relative speeds of reception are uploaded onto a portable data file and developed into a visual image of the stem interior, indicating solid wood (dark colours) to voids (light colour). These images, used in conjunction with a full external assessment, provide our consultants with the best information on which to give our clients advice.