There are a lot of difficult terms to get your head around as a homeowner and ‘arboricultural’ is a pretty good example of this. Yes, the housing industry doesn’t always make things easy and, for those of us who don’t speak latin, this phrase can look pretty alienating.
Put simply: arboricultural refers to the management of trees and shrubs, with the phrase ‘arbor’ coming from the Latin word for ‘tree’.
Not sure how trees factor into homeownership or the building of extensions? Don’t worry, we’ve put together this quick little guide to run you through the basics.
What are arboricultural services?
Arboricultural services are primarily concerned with the management of shrubs and trees on your property. In order to keep your plants healthy and your home safe, agriculturalists (also known as ‘tree surveyors’) are brought in to assess the health and spread of these woody features.
There are a couple of reasons as to why you would bring in arboricultural services, such as…
If you want to build an extension or other development close to any trees, you’ll need to provide your local authority with a Tree Survey and Arboricultural Impact Assessment during the planning process
As a homeowner, you are expected to take reasonable measures to ensure the safety of any trees present on your site. Depending on the trees present, this may involve needing regular tree risk assessments
If you’re worried a nearby tree might be causing damage to your home (or could cause damage in the future), you can bring in a surveyor to ensure this harm is limited and doesn’t impact the property’s value
