Tree Surveys and Tree Reports in Glasgow, Scotland
- NPTC Professional Tree Inspection qualified surveyor
- Fully insured, working to British Standard BS3998 and BS5837
- Free, no-obligation quotes with a site visit before any firm price
If you're planning to build, extend, sell, or you've just had a worrying letter from an insurer, a tree survey and tree report gives you paper you can actually use: a record of every tree on and around your site, what state it's in, and what a planning officer, mortgage lender or loss adjuster needs to see before they'll move your case forward. In Glasgow that usually means a walkover survey written up to British Standard BS5837, the standard planning authorities and consultants expect to see attached to a planning application involving trees. Our surveys are carried out by a tree inspector holding the NPTC Professional Tree Inspection qualification, so the person measuring your trees and writing your report has been trained and assessed specifically for that job, not just handed a tape measure on the day.
We've spent time recording tree condition and species data as part of restoration work at Pollok Country Park, home to the tallest Sitka spruce in the city at over 33 metres, so we're used to working carefully with mature, high-value trees where the measurements and the write-up have to be right first time. Whether you need a full BS5837 survey to support a planning application or a shorter condition report to settle a boundary dispute or satisfy an insurer, get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote.
Inside a BS5837 survey: what gets measured and what doesn't
- A full schedule of every tree on site, including species and its exact location plotted on a scaled plan
- Measurements of height, stem diameter (DBH) and canopy spread for each tree
- Condition assessment covering life expectancy, visible defects, disease and structural weakness
- An estimate of each tree's approximate age category (young, semi-mature, mature, veteran)
- BS5837 retention category grading (A, B, C or U) showing which trees merit retention and which don't
- Root Protection Area (RPA) calculations, so designers know how close a foundation, drive or drain can go
- Recommendations on which trees to remove and which to retain, written in plain English rather than jargon
- Coverage of every tree within 12 metres of the site boundary, not just trees within the red line
- A written report suitable for submission alongside a planning application or for a solicitor, estate agent or lender to rely on
Not Included / Costed Separately
- The felling, pruning or remedial work the report recommends -- that's quoted and carried out separately once you've decided how to proceed
- Planning application fees or Tree Preservation Order (TPO) application costs charged by the local authority
- Laboratory testing for root disease or decay (e.g. fungal identification) -- we can flag where this looks necessary and point you to a specialist
- Aerial or climbed canopy inspection as standard -- a ground-level walkover survey covers what BS5837 requires, but full canopy access for a suspect upper crown is quoted as an extra
- Survey of trees on land you don't own or have permission to access -- we'll always ask before stepping onto a neighbour's ground
- An Arboricultural Method Statement (AMS) for construction near retained trees, unless this is specifically requested as part of a planning conditions package
From first call to finished report
- Initial enquiry -- You call or email with the reason for the survey -- planning application, house sale, insurance query, neighbour dispute -- and roughly how many trees and what size of site is involved. This tells us whether you need a full BS5837 survey or a shorter condition report.
- Desk check -- Before we set foot on site we check whether the property sits in a conservation area, whether any trees carry a Tree Preservation Order, and whether historic mapping or aerial imagery shows trees that have since been removed or planted, so the survey isn't caught out by anything that's changed since the last aerial photo was taken.
- Site walkover and measurement -- Each tree is tagged and measured in turn: stem diameter with a girth tape at 1.5 metres, height with a clinometer, canopy spread paced out in at least four directions. Condition is checked for deadwood, cavities, cracked limbs, fungal brackets at the base and included bark in stem unions, and positions are recorded so they can be plotted accurately.
- Retention category and root protection area -- Back at the desk, each tree is given a BS5837 retention category (A, B, C or U) and its root protection area is worked out from stem diameter using the standard formula, then checked against the proposed layout so a designer can see straight away where a foundation, drive or drain will clash with a tree worth keeping.
- Report and plan -- The findings are written up against BS5837 and marked on a scaled plan overlaid on the site layout, so a planning officer or architect can see at a glance which trees constrain the design and which don't.
- Delivery and discussion -- You get the finished report as a PDF, and we talk you through what it means in practice -- which trees are non-negotiable, which could go, and what that means for the design or the sale you've got planned.
Survey pricing: what pushes the number up or down
As a general guide, tree surveying work is quoted in the region of £300 to £420 (a figure that appears in Checkatrade's tree removal cost guide as a reasonable market benchmark), but that's a starting point rather than a price you can rely on without a look at your own site. What actually moves the number is straightforward: how many trees need measuring, how big and spread out the site is, whether you need a full BS5837 survey with retention categories and root protection area calculations for a planning submission, or a shorter condition report for a domestic concern, and how far the site is from Glasgow. A one-off garden tree causing concern before a house sale is a different job from a development site with forty trees along a boundary. We give free, no-obligation quotes, but a firm figure needs an actual site visit -- guessing tree numbers and site conditions from a phone call rarely does either of us any favours.
Full survey, condition report or risk check -- how to tell them apart
| Service | Typical reason you'd need it | What it actually covers | Rough turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| BS5837 tree survey and report | Planning application, new build, extension, or a development site | Every tree within 12m of the boundary, species, measurements, condition, retention category, RPA, scaled plan | 1-2 weeks depending on tree numbers and site size |
| Basic tree condition report | House sale, neighbour dispute, insurance query, single tree of concern | Condition, life expectancy and a plain-English recommendation for one or a few trees | A few days |
| Tree risk assessment | Routine safety check on trees near a path, car park or boundary fence | Visual structural risk assessment of individual trees, without development or planning context | A few days |
An inspection qualification, not just a tape measure
Producing a report that stands up to a planning officer's scrutiny is a different skill from felling or pruning a tree, which is why the person who measures your trees and writes the report holds the NPTC Professional Tree Inspection qualification, on top of the NPTC/Lantra chainsaw, tree work and machinery certificates the rest of the team carries. A council arboricultural officer or consultant reviewing a BS5837 submission reads plenty of these reports, and a retention category that looks guessed at, or a root protection area that hasn't been worked out properly, is usually what sends an application back for more information. Because the same team also holds certificates in rigging, dismantling and aerial work from rope and harness, a retention recommendation isn't written in isolation from what the work would actually involve on the ground -- if a tree marked for removal sits somewhere awkward to access, or a retained tree will need remedial pruning to make it safe near a new driveway, that gets flagged in the report rather than left for a contractor to discover once the job's already underway. Surveying, like every other job we take on, is covered by full insurance, and we'll quote it for nothing before you commit to anything further.
Survey work across Glasgow's council areas and beyond
Most instructions come from in and around Glasgow, but where the site actually sits changes what a survey needs to check beyond the trees themselves. A plot in East Renfrewshire -- Giffnock, Clarkston, Newton Mearns -- or East Dunbartonshire -- Bearsden, Milngavie, Bishopbriggs, Kirkintilloch -- gets checked against that council's own Tree Preservation Order register and conservation area map rather than Glasgow City's, and the finished report has to reflect whichever policy actually governs the ground. Ground conditions matter too: a tenement back green on Glasgow's Southside is typically compacted and constrained, so root protection area calculations there are often working around existing paving and drains rather than open soil, while out towards South Lanarkshire (Hamilton, East Kilbride, Blantyre, Bothwell) and Renfrewshire (Paisley, Renfrew, Johnstone, Clydebank), boundary trees and old shelterbelts are more likely to carry a TPO than a typical suburban Glasgow garden, which changes what the retention recommendations need to say. Sites further out again, around Strathblane, Killearn, Balfron and Kippen near the Campsie Fells, tend to bring hedgerow and shelterbelt species on undisturbed, often peaty ground rather than ornamental garden planting, which affects how root spread is assumed rather than just measured; we also take on instructions as far as Stirling and Bo'ness on the Forth, where the extra travel time is worth building into the booking. The survey method itself doesn't change wherever the site is -- what we check before the report is finalised is which council's planning policy actually applies to that ground.
Straight answers on tree surveys and reports
How much does a tree survey cost in Glasgow?
As a rough market guide, tree surveys are commonly priced in the region of £300 to £420, but that figure moves a lot depending on how many trees are on site, how spread out the site is, and whether you need a full BS5837 report for planning or a shorter condition report. We give a free quote after a site visit rather than guessing a number over the phone.
When do I need a tree survey before building or extending in Scotland?
If there are trees on or within 12 metres of a site you're planning to build on, extend, or subdivide, most Scottish planning authorities will expect a tree survey and report submitted with the application, or will ask for one once they see trees on the site plan. It's worth getting this done early -- an application submitted without it is often held up while one is commissioned partway through, which costs more time than getting it sorted upfront.
What's included in a BS5837 tree survey report?
A BS5837 report lists every tree covered by the survey with its species, location, height, stem diameter, canopy spread and condition, gives each one a retention category (A, B, C or U), calculates its root protection area, and sets all of that out on a scaled plan alongside written recommendations on which trees should be retained and which could be removed.
Do mortgage lenders in Scotland ever require a tree survey?
Occasionally, yes -- if a mortgage valuer flags a large or mature tree close to the building, particularly on clay-influenced ground, a lender can ask for a tree report before releasing funds. It's less common in west Scotland than in parts of southern England where clay-shrinkage subsidence is more widespread, but it still happens, especially on older stone-built properties with shallower foundations.
How long does a tree survey take to complete for a Glasgow property?
A domestic garden with a handful of trees can usually be surveyed on site in under a day, with the written report back within a few days. A larger development site with dozens of trees along boundaries takes longer on site and typically a week or two to turn into a full BS5837 report, plan included.
What's the difference between a tree survey and a tree risk assessment?
A tree survey and report (usually to BS5837) is built around a development or land-use decision -- which trees can stay, which have to go, and what protection the retained ones need during construction. A tree risk assessment is narrower: it looks at the structural safety of specific trees, often for a landowner worried about a tree near a path, car park or boundary, without any planning context attached.
Do I need a tree report before applying for planning permission in Glasgow?
If there are trees on or bordering the site, yes, in almost every case -- Glasgow City Council and the surrounding authorities work from planning guidance that expects a BS5837 survey to accompany applications where trees could be affected, rather than the equivalent English guidance under the NPPF. Submitting without one is one of the more common reasons an otherwise straightforward application gets delayed for further information.
How often should trees near a Glasgow property be surveyed?
There's no fixed re-survey interval for most private trees, but a fresh look every few years is sensible for mature trees near buildings, and sooner if you notice new deadwood, leaning, fungal brackets at the base, or storm damage. Scotland's higher rainfall means waterlogged ground and windthrow are often a bigger practical risk here than the clay-shrinkage subsidence more associated with drier parts of England, so root plate stability is something we look at closely.
What qualifications should the person producing my tree report hold?
Look for an NPTC Professional Tree Inspection qualification specifically, rather than assuming any qualified tree surgeon can produce a planning-standard report -- inspecting and reporting on trees is a distinct skill from felling or pruning them, even though both usually sit within the same trade.
A missing report is an easy delay to avoid
A missing tree report is one of the most common reasons a planning application gets sent back for more information, and that delay lands on your timeline, not the council's. If there's a house sale, planning submission or insurer's query waiting on a decision about the trees on your site, get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote and we'll get a surveyor out to look at what's actually there before it becomes a hold-up.
Glasgow Trees
Call 0141-483-7485