Tree Surveys in Nottingham: Progressing Developments

Sherwood Forest and Other Woodland

Known for Raleigh bikes, lace-making and – most famously – Robin Hood of Sherwood, Nottingham is a county full of historical and natural value positioned between the Peak District and Lincoln. Boasting the three nature reserves of Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, Attenborough Nature Reserve and Dukes Wood Nature Reserve, as well as a temperate oceanic climate with plenty of precipitation, it is no wonder Nottingham is a county bustling with an abundance of wildlife and tree species.

From the perspective of Nottinghamshire County Council and local community groups, the priority surrounds the protection of trees from peril, whether that comes from dangerous fungi such as ash dieback or potentially harmful planning projects that could decimate tree numbers without adequate compensation. At the other end of the discussion, developers simply want to push forward and deliver their development schemes without defying local policy or the demands of residents and experts.

Certain Nottingham services were created with the intention of offering a compromise between allowing development to continue while ensuring the safety of valuable ecological features, such as native trees. Both private and commercial clients who are staging planning projects and aspire to secure planning permission can progress their development plans with respect to present trees by arranging a tree survey with our team of arboricultural consultants.

Nottingham Nature Reserves and Tree Planting

Also known as Birklands and Bilhagh, Sherwood Forest was designated as a National Nature Reserve in 2002. It was once one of the largest Royal Forests in the UK and covered 100,000 acres, equating to a fifth of the entire Nottinghamshire county. The forest itself is home to hundreds of species of mammals, birds, insects, plants, fungi and trees, including a collection of almost 1,000 ancient oaks. One such oak tree is the Major Oak, which weighs an estimated 23 tonnes and has a circumference of ten metres and a canopy cover of 28 metres.

While researchers have debated the age of the tree, it is thought to be between 800 and 1,000 years old. Other individual trees in the forest are estimated to be 600 years old or more. For centuries, the oaks from the forest have been used for building. An example of this was when ten oak trees were used for the roof of St. Paul’s Cathedral back in 1790. Primarily down to the presence of the largest oak tree in Britain and as the home to the world-famous Sherwood Forest, Nottingham is the biggest and best location to find oak trees in all of Europe.

Another place brimming with biodiversity is Duke’s Wood Nature Reserve. It has a combination of conservation areas and industrial heritage sites. It is also the location of the first onshore oilfield in the UK, and along the Duke’s Wood industrial archaeological nature trail, some of the original ‘nodding donkey’ pumps have been restored. The archaic and secondary woodland is heavily dominated by ash, oak, birch, and hazel trees along with many pretty wildflowers that thrive there, including a variety of species of wild orchid and the rare Vetch Nissola, which is only found in one other location in the UK.

A non-profit organisation established in 2008, Trees for Nottingham aims to raise more awareness about the importance of trees in the urban environment, encourage more tree-planting across Nottingham, and plant different tree species in more varied locations. It also encourages local businesses to sponsor the tree-planting incentive throughout the city. Protecting trees through the use of effective tree management strategies such as tree preservation orders (TPOs) and specifically outlined conservation areas is significant for many reasons. Developers are required to remain within the parameters of protective measures surrounding trees, with the utilisation of a tree survey enabling assistance from a trusted source.

British Standard Tree Surveys

Of all tree surveys, a BS5837 is often the suitable option for planning. In a BS5837 tree survey, an arboriculturist will come out to development sites to evaluate the standard of the trees present, along with any in the surrounding area that could hinder the project. Various tools will be used both above and below ground to quantify the physiological and structural condition of the trees, and other factors such as the root protection areas and potential use of a tree protection plan (TPP), tree constraints plan (TCP), arboricultural method statement (AMS) or arboricultural impact assessment (AIA) will be considered.

The results of a tree survey will be presented in a tree report, and there, it will be made clear what the next steps are for each tree on the site. It is always hoped to complete the process with as many retained trees as possible, but if they are an obstruction to the development that cannot be catered for, tree removal and relocation will be the next best option. As a last resort, if the trees are likely to cause any potential liabilities or simply aren’t worth saving, the tree surveyor will be left with no choice but to recommend that the trees in question be destroyed and compensated for.

In a tree survey report, all of the details from the assessment that the local planning authority would require as part of decisions that lead to successful or unsuccessful planning applications will be included. A PDF or AutoCAD document will also be added, acting as a map of trees on the site that can be overlaid on top of the development plans to indicate how the elements may clash. As a comprehensive document, the tree reports should contain everything needed to leave the planning officer with no further obstacles that would prevent them from granting planning permission.

Receive Your No-Obligation Quote

Our arboricultural consultancy operates tree works nationally and has several tree consultants who work and live in and around the county of Nottinghamshire and other areas of the East Midlands. Conducting the necessary tree condition surveys and tree services such as a tree management risk assessment, our team has performed Nottingham services for commercial clients, private clients, tree owners and any other category of individual that needs help with trees in relation to planning applications.

Every tree survey we undertake involves the same high level of professional service that helps with protecting trees and assisting developers to complete their projects. You can receive a free quote for a tree survey on your development site by calling us, emailing us, filling in our quote form or checking out our contact page. We can then operate within the guidelines of the local council specific to you, undertake the tree survey you need, and pass on the tree reports that are acknowledged as fundamental to securing planning permission.