Managing Your Duty of Care
Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, landowners and those responsible for managing trees have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to manage foreseeable risk while retaining the many benefits that trees provide. Meeting this responsibility requires a proportionate, evidence-based approach to tree inspection and management.
Bowland Tree Consultancy provides independent tree risk management services for estates, local authorities, schools, commercial organisations and private landowners. From routine safety inspections and strategic survey programmes to advanced decay investigations and expert reporting, we deliver practical, defensible advice to help you meet your duty of care with confidence.
Industry-Leading Tree Risk Assessment Methodologies
Depending on your site and specific project requirements, we utilise the UK’s most respected and rigorous tree risk assessment systems to ensure that all surveys, reports, and recommendations are proportionate, reasonable, and defensible.
- QTRA (Quantified Tree Risk Assessment): Our certified assessors utilise this numerical system to calculate probability of failure, part size, and target value. This data-driven approach ranks risks by actual probability, preventing costly, unnecessary tree work while maintaining robust safety compliance.
- VALID Tree Risk-Benefit Management: Our certified assessors utilise the VALID system to balance the natural, environmental benefits of trees against potential safety risks. This common-sense approach delivers robust, legally compliant safety management while protecting valuable tree assets and avoiding unnecessary felling or pruning.
Our Tree Risk Management Services
From routine inspections to specialist investigations, we provide the surveys, reporting, and technical expertise needed to support effective, long-term tree risk management.
- Tree Risk Management Surveys & Reports: Thorough tree inspections and risk assessments for estates, parks, highways, schools, commercial sites and private properties. We deliver clear recommendations to help you prioritise remedial works and manage tree risk efficiently.
- Professional Tree Inspection (PTI) Surveys: Localised, high-detail inspections for individual veteran trees or high-priority specimens. This service provides the highest level of professional scrutiny for your most valuable tree assets.
- Advanced Decay Detection: Specialist investigation of suspected internal decay using advanced diagnostic tools, such as micro-drilling, to provide the precise data needed for informed risk management decisions.
- Reactive Tree Risk Appraisals: Rapid-response tree inspections following storm events, severe weather or other incidents where tree safety and condition must be promptly reassessed.
- Expert Witness & Accident Investigation: Independent arboricultural advice, expert reports and post-failure investigations tailored for legal proceedings, insurance matters and dispute resolution.
Why Land Managers Choose Bowland
- Independent Consultancy – We do not undertake tree surgery work ourselves, ensuring our recommendations remain completely impartial with no vested interest in suggesting unnecessary tree pruning or felling.
- Practical & Defensible Advice – Clear reporting and proportionate recommendations that help you manage tree risk, meet your legal responsibilities and make informed decisions about your tree stock.
- Qualified Team – Our arboriculturists hold recognised industry qualifications, bringing a broad range of technical expertise and practical experience to every site.
- Trusted Nationally by Diverse Clientele – We deliver trusted tree risk management services for estates, local authorities, schools, commercial organisations and private landowners throughout the UK
- Established Professional Expertise – Since 2009, Bowland Tree Consultancy has built a strong reputation for delivering expert risk management advice across diverse sites, from individual specimens to extensive tree populations.
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