Why tree protection matters more than it looks
A protected tree that gets damaged during a development can stop the project in ways that are hard to recover from. Enforcement can halt works while the damage is assessed. Planning permission can be revoked or revised. Replanting orders can drive significant six-figure costs on large mature specimens. And the ongoing reputational cost with the local authority, for a contractor who gets a reputation for tree incidents, outlasts the project.
The insurance policy against all that is a proper tree protection installation at the start of the job and maintenance for the full duration. We’ve installed tree protection on sites ranging from small infill residential schemes to multi-year commercial developments, and the regime is always the same — BS5837 specification, fixed per the arboricultural method statement, signed and maintained throughout.
Working with your arboriculturist
We take direction from the project arboriculturist rather than trying to second-guess them. If their method statement calls for a particular barrier height, trunk protection spec or RPZ radius, we’ll match it. If we see something on site that looks different to the plan — a tree’s actual canopy extending further than the drawing shows, or ground conditions that complicate baseplate standing — we’ll flag it to them before we install, not after.
Talk to us at planning
Tree protection is almost always cheapest when it’s designed in at planning rather than retrofitted on site. If you’ve got a live planning application that requires tree protection as a condition, we can quote the install against the arboricultural method statement before you confirm your construction programme.
