A tree condition survey lands as a PDF. Inside it you get a schedule of recommended work, priority ratings and a review date. What most site and property managers need next is not another report. They need a priced, defensible job.
The bridge between the two is a brief. This guide covers how to turn a condition survey into work a tree contractor can quote accurately, what to check before you send it out, and what to record when the work is finished.
First, check that the report is still current
A condition survey is a snapshot taken on the day of the inspection. The person quoted in it may have moved on, the site may have changed, and the trees certainly have: a storm, a dry summer or a season of construction traffic can all change what a tree needs.
Start by finding the date of the inspection and the review period the report recommends. Then ask two questions.
- Have the trees changed since that date? Storm damage, new deadwood, cracking, movement at the root plate or a change in leaf cover are worth a look. If anything looks different from the description in the report, the work recommended for that tree may no longer be the right work. The appointed arboriculturist should confirm the position before you put it out to quote.
- Has the site changed? New parking, a revised traffic route, scaffolding, a construction compound or a new boundary fence all affect access, exclusion zones and where arisings can be processed. A tree that was straightforward when the survey was done may not be accessible now, and the quote will reflect that. Check whether any tree in the schedule is protected by a Tree Preservation Order or stands in a conservation area, because the recommended work may need consent or notice before it can be priced as a straight job.
If the report is recent and nothing has changed, use it as written. If it is old or the site has moved on, consider asking for a re-inspection of the affected trees before spending time on a tender. It is usually cheaper than accepting a quote full of provisional sums.
Can the report identify the trees a contractor will actually stand next to?
This is the most common practical failure. It is worth sorting out before anything is priced. A schedule that says 'tree by the north entrance, reduce by two metres' is difficult to price and easy to dispute later, especially on a site with dozens of similar trees.
What contractors need is a report where each item can be tied to a physical tree within a few minutes:
- An identifying reference for every tree, matched to a plan or a tagged tree.
- Species and size, so the work can be related to the tree in front of you.
- Location detail that survives a site walk: what the tree is next to, and what it overhangs.
- A photograph where the tree is difficult to describe.
If the numbering in the report does not match the numbering on any earlier plan for the site, agree one convention before the quotes go out. Tree numbers that shift between documents create the confusion that ends with work being done to the wrong tree.
Turn the schedule into a brief that prices cleanly
Contractors price what they can measure and see. A list of tree numbers with no working detail gets padded with allowances. The brief that gets a firm, comparable price usually carries five things.
Where protected trees are in the schedule, say so in the brief and attach the consent or the notice confirmation. It lets the contractor check the authorised scope and any conditions. It does not, by itself, establish that wildlife, licensing, ownership and other requirements have been met.
The works schedule, item by item
Keep the report's own wording for each tree and add the detail a contractor needs to plan the operation:
- What is coming off and where the tree should end up, in terms a climber can work to.
- Clearance heights where the tree is over a footpath, car park, yard or service route.
- Whether stumps are staying, being ground out or being treated, and what happens to the ground after grinding.
- Where the timber, brash and chippings go.
Priorities and programme
Condition surveys usually carry priorities or suggested timeframes for each item. Keep them in the brief. They let a contractor sequence the work sensibly, phase it around your operations, and price the urgent items without loading the routine work. If the recommended deadlines cannot be met, seek prompt advice from the report author on interim restrictions and a revised programme; do not simply downgrade the priority.
Where the recommendations are open to interpretation, mark them as such and state who will resolve them. Anything that depends on a specialist call, such as structural stability, decay assessment or a habitat constraint, belongs with the appointed arboriculturist or ecologist, not with the contractor pricing the job.
Access, services and site constraints
Access drives cost more than almost anything else on a tree job. The brief should say how the site is reached, where vehicles can stand, what ground conditions are like in winter, whether there is a height or weight limit on the route in, and what has to stay open while the work is done.
Include what is under and over the trees: buried services and drainage runs, overhead lines, lighting columns, CCTV, and anything that constrains where a section can be lowered. If the site has a permit-to-work system, an induction, or fixed working hours, put that in the brief as well. Contractors can plan around constraints they can see. They cannot price the ones they meet on the day.
What the quote must include and exclude
Ask for the exclusions in writing, in the same document as the price. The items that most often sit outside a tree work quote are worth naming up front:
- Stump grinding, stump treatment and reinstatement of the ground afterwards.
- Removal of arisings from site compared with chipping or logging on site.
- Traffic management, temporary closures and any highway or permit costs.
- Ground protection, matting or temporary surfaces.
- Repairs to surfaces, kerbs or drainage affected by the work.
- Replacement planting, tree guards, watering and aftercare if the report or a planning condition requires them.
None of those should be a surprise line later. Setting them out at tender stage also makes quotes comparable, because you can see which contractor has allowed for the awkward parts and which has left them out to look cheaper.
Site rules and insurance evidence
Send the site's requirements with the brief: inductions, working hours, supervision arrangements, and who authorises changes on the day. Ask for the insurance and competence evidence your procurement process needs at the same time, and agree in advance what happens if an item cannot be carried out as written.
When something in the report looks unclear or outside the brief
Some items in a condition survey are deliberately open. Confirming the extent of decay, deciding whether a tree can be retained with a reduced crown, or judging whether a wildlife constraint applies are specialist calls. A contractor can describe what is practical on site, but the site owner should obtain the necessary specialist advice and permissions before authorising changes to the specification.
Where that advice is needed, get it in writing before the quote goes out. A short note from the arboriculturist that confirms the scope removes the ambiguity a contractor would otherwise price as a contingency.
Where the report recommends monitoring, make sure the monitoring actually happens. A recommendation to re-inspect after a storm, at leaf fall, or on a set review cycle is a live instruction, not a note. Put the review dates in the site calendar and note who owns them.
If a tree presents an immediate danger before the quotes are back, do not wait for the tender. Keep people away without entering the danger area and obtain competent help. Call 999 if people are in immediate danger; contact the electricity network on 105 for damaged electricity infrastructure and stay clear. Any emergency tree work must stay within applicable legal exceptions. Then document what was found, what was done and why, because that record may be needed for insurers or the local planning authority (LPA).
What to ask for when the work is done
A completion record turns a job into evidence. Ask for a short pack as standard:
- A dated record of the work carried out, matched to the tree references in the report.
- Photographs before and after for each item.
- Any deviation from the recommended work, with the reason and who authorised it.
- Confirmation of where arisings went, and any waste documentation that applies.
- For any item that was monitored rather than worked on, the date of the next check.
Keep that pack with the condition survey. Together they show a documented line from inspection to action, which matters if someone is injured by a tree, if an insurer asks questions, or when the next inspection comes around. There is no fixed statutory inspection period for trees in England, so the report's review dates and your record of acting on them carry the weight.
Have a condition survey and need the work quoted?
Send us the report's works schedule and a few site photographs, and we will tell you what can be priced from the documents and what needs a site visit. If the schedule needs clarifying with the appointed arboriculturist first, we will say so rather than guessing at the scope. Call 07423 269635 or use the form to describe the site and arrange sending the report and photos.
For surveys, condition reports and tree work specifications, start at tree surveys and reports. To discuss the work itself, use the contact form.