Ecology Surveys

Without suitable consideration of ecological sensitivities, nearly all tree work has the potential to damage wildlife interests, and most have the potential to break the law in one or another.

We provide various ecological services to support arboriculture and tree clearance projects and programs for various types of infrastructure and networks including road, rail, rivers, power lines and radio masts. We also support construction and development projects where trees are present on site or are located nearby and could be affected by the project either directly or indirectly.

We can provide advice and support for many protected species including bats, badgers, breeding birds, otters, reptiles, and amphibians. We aim to ensure your projects have the best chance of progressing in a timely, cost-effective fashion whilst keeping you on the right side of the law.

On receiving your work specification, we usually carry out a preliminary site survey to assesses the site sensitivities so that we can plan ahead to avoid any costly delays to you later down the line.

For example, you may be aware of a badger sett close by or within the area of trees being cleared that could be damaged or collapsed by heavy machinery working or passing to close to the sett. We will then provide you with advice that outlines the legal position and what mitigation, and control measures are needed to be put in place to avoid an offence from being committed which might include suitably timing the work to avoid the most sensitive periods of a species life cycle that would otherwise cause disturbance, as well as devising suitable work methods that include how trees and timber can be cut to avoid damaging the site sensitively or adversely impacting any protected species.

Whilst surveying the site for the sensitives that you may be aware of we will also assess it for all other potential sensitives that you might not have spotted or be aware of for example whilst surveying the site for badgers we might identify trees with bat roosting potential or bird nests that need to also be protected to avoid being damaged or destroyed.

When the work is scheduled for completion, supervision can be provided in the form of an Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW) to provide briefings to your team and to set up the necessary work methods such as section felling and drop zones as well as other control measures including suitable exclusion and buffer zones to keep heavy machinery a safe distance away. The ECoW can then be on hand to liaise with members of public who may have queries and concerns so the team can concentrate on progressing the work stress free.

We can provide the following ecological services-

• We provide surveys and advice on protected sites and protected species including bats, badgers, breeding birds, otter, other mammals, amphibians and reptiles.

• Act as Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW’s) to provide supervision on site whilst working around ecological sensitivities or require on-hand advice.

• Habitat Regulations Assessments (HRA’s) to gain Natural England Ascent to carry out work on SSSI’s, SPA’s, SAC’s and Ramsar sites- please further details about this service on our website.

• Ground based and aerial bat inspections of trees from rope and harness or MEWP- please further details about this service on our website

• Inspect and erect bat boxes and bird boxes for mitigation purposes.