The arboricultural site monitoring record
The supervision record decides whether a tree condition is discharged and who is liable if a retained tree dies. Fields, photographs, escalation and closing out.
An arboricultural supervision record is the document that decides whether a tree condition is discharged, and the document that decides who is liable when a retained tree dies. Both of those matter more than the trees it describes, because the record is what survives.
BS 5837:2012 expects arboricultural site monitoring where retained trees are close to construction activity, carried out to a schedule agreed with the local planning authority. What the standard does not do is tell you what a visit record should contain. That is a matter of practice, and the practice varies far more than it should.
What the supervision condition requires
Start with the condition wording, because supervision conditions are drafted inconsistently and the obligations differ.
The common forms are three. A condition requiring development to proceed in accordance with an approved arboricultural method statement, with supervision by a named or suitably qualified arboriculturist. A condition requiring a monitoring schedule to be submitted and approved before work begins. And a condition requiring a completion report confirming compliance before occupation or before a specified stage.
Each generates different deliverables. The first needs a record that demonstrates the method statement was followed. The second needs the schedule agreed in advance and then evidence that it was met. The third needs a closing document that a planning officer can rely on.
Read all three possibilities carefully, because a condition can combine them, and the trigger points may not align with the construction programme. Where they conflict, raise it with the tree officer before work starts rather than explaining afterwards.
The scope of your appointment should match the condition. An arboriculturist engaged to make four visits cannot certify compliance across a twelve month programme, and saying so in the appointment letter protects everyone.
Setting the visit schedule
The schedule should follow the activities that put trees at risk, not the calendar. A monthly visit that happens to fall between the excavation and the backfill is worth less than one attended at the right moment.
Visits that usually need to be in the schedule:
- Before anything else happens, to inspect and certify the protective barriers and ground protection.
- At demolition, where structures sit within or adjacent to root protection areas.
- At the start of any excavation within a root protection area, with the arboriculturist present rather than on call.
- At service trenching and drainage runs, which is where most unplanned root damage occurs.
- At the installation of hard surfacing within a root protection area, to confirm the no dig construction as specified.
- At any agreed removal or repositioning of protective fencing.
- At completion, to record the condition of the trees and the removal of protection.
Build the schedule from the contractor's programme and revisit it when the programme changes, which it will. Agree with the site manager that you are given notice before each trigger activity, and put the notice period in writing. Without that, the visits happen after the event and the record becomes a description of damage rather than supervision of work.
Our note on retaining a tree through a construction programme sets out how those sequences are usually written into a method statement.
What a visit record contains
A defensible record is boring and complete. The fields below are the working minimum.
| Field | Why it is there |
|---|---|
| Date, arrival and departure times, weather | Establishes that the visit happened and for how long |
| Site, planning reference and condition number | Ties the record to the obligation being discharged |
| Name and qualification of the attending arboriculturist | Evidence of competence |
| Who else was present, with role | Establishes who received instructions |
| Activity observed against the method statement clause | Shows supervision rather than a general walk round |
| Condition of each barrier and ground protection run | The core factual observation |
| Any incursion, damage or deviation, with location | The finding that matters |
| Instruction given, to whom, and the deadline | Converts observation into action |
| Status of actions from previous visits | Prevents items drifting |
| Photograph references | Links the narrative to the evidence |
Write the record on the day. A record compiled from memory a fortnight later is worth very little if it is ever tested, and the gap between visit and record is the first thing a lawyer looks at.
Number the records sequentially and keep the sequence unbroken. A missing visit five is more damaging than an honest note saying that visit five did not take place and why.
Photographs and the discipline of dating them
Photographs carry most of the evidential weight, and they are usually the weakest part of the record.
Four habits fix that. Photograph the same viewpoints at every visit, so the series shows change rather than a set of unrelated images. Include a scale or a known object where condition is being recorded. Keep the original files with their metadata rather than only the images pasted into a report, because the embedded date and location data is what makes them useful later. And caption each image with the date, the subject and the tree reference from the tree protection plan.
For damage, photograph the wider context first and then the detail, so that the location is established. A close up of a severed root with no context could have come from anywhere.
Where pruning has been carried out under your instruction, the record should show the specification applied and the result, and the conventions for writing those specifications are covered in our note on pruning specifications.
Recording non-compliance
This is the part of the role people find uncomfortable, and it is the part that matters.
A workable escalation has four steps. Raise it with the site manager at the time, in person. Confirm in writing the same day, stating what was observed, which clause of the method statement it departs from, what is required and by when. Re-inspect at the stated deadline and record the outcome. Where it is unresolved, notify the client in writing that the position will need to be reported to the local planning authority, then do so.
Be precise about language. Record what you observed rather than what you inferred. "Excavation to 400 millimetres within the root protection area of T12, roots up to 30 millimetres diameter severed, no hand digging observed" is a finding. "Contractor disregarded the method statement" is an opinion, and it will be argued with.
Your duty of care runs to your client, but the record itself is disclosable and will be read by people who were not there. Write it for them.
Where a breach has occurred, say what the arboricultural consequence is likely to be and what remedial action is available. A record that identifies damage and stops there is incomplete.
Reporting to the authority
Most authorities want monitoring reports at intervals rather than after every visit, and a closing report at the end. Agree the frequency when the schedule is approved.
An interim report should be short: the visits made in the period, the activities supervised, any non-compliance and its resolution, and the trees' current condition. Attach the individual visit records as an appendix rather than rewriting them.
Send reports to the named officer and keep proof of submission. Where a breach has been reported, expect a site visit from the tree officer and make sure the site manager knows it is coming. Coordinating this with the construction management arrangements, including the site access and storage areas shown in the Construction Management Plan, avoids the contradictions that officers notice.
Closing the condition out
The completion report is a distinct document, not the last interim report with a new cover.
It should confirm the schedule of visits actually undertaken against the approved schedule, summarise any non-compliance and how it was resolved, record the final condition of each retained tree against its pre-development condition, confirm removal of protective structures and any decompaction carried out, and set out any aftercare or monitoring the trees now need.
Submit it with the formal application to discharge the condition rather than by email alone, and obtain the written discharge. Then tell the client that an undischarged condition sits on the title and will surface on the next sale.
The underlying survey and impact work that the supervision is protecting sits in the Tree Survey and Arboricultural Impact Assessment, which councils expect to be prepared by a suitably qualified arboriculturist. Professional review is strongly advised wherever a retained tree sits close to construction, and reviewers who sign off drafted reports can be found through the PlanScope professional directory.
Enter your postcode on PlanScope to see which reports a site is likely to need.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Check the position with your local planning authority or a qualified professional before relying on it. PlanScope provides AI-assisted draft reports for planning applications. Reports should be reviewed before submission. We do not guarantee planning approval.
Frequently asked questions
What does an arboricultural supervision condition require?
It varies. The common forms require development in accordance with an approved method statement under the supervision of a suitably qualified arboriculturist, a monitoring schedule submitted and approved before work begins, or a completion report before occupation. Conditions often combine them, so read the wording and match your appointment scope to it.
How often should site visits take place?
The schedule should follow activities rather than the calendar. Certify the barriers before anything else happens, then attend demolition, any excavation within a root protection area, service trenching, hard surfacing within the root area, any agreed fence removal, and completion. Build it from the contractor's programme and revise it when the programme changes.
What should a visit record contain?
Date and times, weather, site and planning reference, the condition number, the attending arboriculturist and their qualification, who else was present, the activity observed against the method statement clause, the condition of each barrier, any incursion with its location, instructions given with deadlines, the status of previous actions and photograph references.
How should non-compliance be recorded?
Raise it with the site manager at the time, confirm in writing the same day stating the observation, the clause departed from and the required action, re-inspect at the deadline, and notify the authority where it remains unresolved. Record what was observed rather than what was inferred, because the record is disclosable.
What goes in the completion report?
The visits actually made against the approved schedule, any non-compliance and its resolution, the final condition of each retained tree against its pre-development condition, confirmation that protective structures were removed and any decompaction carried out, and the aftercare the trees now need. Submit it with a formal discharge application.
Sources and further reading
This article is general guidance about the planning system in England and, where stated, the rest of the UK. It is not legal or professional advice. Check your local planning authority’s validation requirements and take professional advice for your specific site.