Protecting trees checklist

Checklist

  • Check with the County Council and District/Borough Council (both can hold records) that trees are not protected by a Tree Preservation Order or Conservation Area
  • Arrange for an arboriculturalist to conduct a tree survey before the design stage.
  • Design the scheme so that high-category and moderate-category trees and, where possible, low-category trees can be retained.
  • Exclude the root protection area from the worksite using appropriate protective fencing.
  • Do not carry out any excavations or alter soil levels within a tree’s protection zone.
  • Consult with a forestry officer if works need to take place in a construction exclusion zone before works begin.
  • Arrange for an approved arboricultural contractor to conduct recommended tree surgery before work begins.
  • Follow all appropriate codes of practice and specific recommendations.
  • Carry out appropriate measures after work has finished to reinstate and improve the site (for example, soil aeration and mulching) and avoid practices such as cultivation and fertilizing.
  • Do not store any construction materials or toxic substances (including road salt) or light fires within a tree’s potential root area.

Do not operate any vehicles or plant within a tree’s root protection zone. Avoid building houses close to retained trees, particularly where there is little possibility of them existing together.

 

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Development Approvals