Is My Tree Dangerous? Independent Dangerous Tree Assessment
When you’re worried a tree might fail, or the council has written to say it’s dangerous, you need a clear answer from someone with no interest in the outcome. We carry out no tree works, so we gain nothing from telling you a tree needs to come down. We tell you what the tree is actually doing, and what your options are.
If a tree is in immediate danger of falling, keep people and vehicles clear and contact a tree surgeon to make it safe straight away. If it’s next to a road, also tell the council’s highways team. You can have it assessed once the immediate danger is dealt with.
Warning Signs Worth Acting On
Not every defect means a tree is dangerous, but these are worth having looked at:
- Fungi at the base, on the roots or on the trunk
- Cracks or splits in the trunk or at the junction of large branches
- A new or increasing lean, especially with soil heaving or cracking on the opposite side
- Lifting or damaged roots, often after trenching, driveway work or building
- Dead branches or large areas of dieback in the crown
- Cavities, bleeding patches or loose bark on the trunk
- A branch has already failed, which often means others are at risk
Read more in our guide to defects and decay in trees.
Why an Independent Assessment Matters
A tree surgeon asked whether a tree is dangerous is also the person who would be paid to fell it. That doesn’t mean their advice is wrong, but it isn’t independent.
We don’t cut trees, and we take no commission from anyone who does. A tree that looks dangerous can turn out to be sound, and a tree that looks healthy can have serious decay inside. Where it matters, we measure rather than guess, so a decision to remove a large or protected tree is based on evidence, and trees that don’t need to come down aren’t lost.
Received a Dangerous Tree Notice from the Council?
Councils can serve a formal notice on the owner of a tree they consider dangerous. A tree next to a road is usually dealt with under section 154 of the Highways Act 1980; a tree that threatens people or property elsewhere can be dealt with under section 23 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.
What owners and managing agents often don’t realise:
- The notice sets a deadline. Councils will sometimes allow a short extension to arrange a contractor, but rarely a long one. If the work isn’t done in time, the council can carry it out and recover the cost from the owner.
- The council requires the tree to be made safe, not necessarily felled. It’s normally for the owner to decide what work achieves that, which is where independent evidence helps.
- A notice can take precedence over a Tree Preservation Order. In cases we’ve dealt with, the council has confirmed that no TPO application was needed before carrying out the work required by the notice. Always confirm this with the council in writing first.
- The tree’s species affects the options. Some species, such as beech, respond badly to heavy pruning, so a crown reduction may not be a realistic alternative to felling.
- Managing agents face an extra timing problem. Where the cost triggers leaseholder consultation under Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the consultation can take longer than the council will allow. That needs raising with the council early.
- There is a right of appeal to the magistrates’ court. The time limit is short, so check the notice and take legal advice promptly if you want to challenge it.
We can assess the tree, tell you honestly whether the evidence is likely to change the council’s view, and give you a report the council’s tree officer can review. Sometimes the honest answer is that felling is the sensible course, and paying for a detailed investigation won’t change that. We’ll say so.
Dangerous Trees with a TPO or in a Conservation Area
There’s an exemption for work to protected trees that are dead or present an urgent risk of serious harm, but it is narrow, and if the council later challenges the work, it’s for you to prove the tree really was dangerous. Removing a protected tree without good evidence risks prosecution and a duty to plant a replacement.
Before relying on the exemption, get an independent assessment in writing and give the council the notice the regulations require. Where the tree isn’t an immediate danger but does need work, we can prepare a TPO application supported by evidence. See our guide to protected trees.
Worried About a Neighbour’s Tree?
If a tree on neighbouring land looks dangerous, an independent report gives you something objective to share with the owner, their insurer or the council, rather than opinion against opinion. The owner of a tree is responsible for it, and a written report also records that the risk was raised. See tree owners’ legal responsibilities.
After a Storm or Branch Failure
When a branch has come down, or a tree has been damaged in a storm, the question is whether the rest of the tree is safe. We assess the whole tree, not just the break, and look for the cause, because a branch that failed through decay often means more of the tree is affected.
How We Assess a Tree
- Visual Tree Assessment: the whole tree, from roots to crown, recording every defect and what it means structurally.
- Instrument testing where needed: Arbotom sonic tomography maps internal decay without harming the tree, and the Rinntech Resistograph R650 measures remaining sound wood. Where wind loading or root plate stability is the question, we use ArboStApp, ArWiLo and ArboRadix. See tree decay detection.
- Risk assessment: using QTRA, so the risk is weighed against how often people and property are actually near the tree.
- Clear recommendations: retain, reduce, monitor or remove, with the reasons, and a specification any tree surgeon can price.
What You Receive
- A written report on the tree’s condition and risk
- Photographs and, where testing is done, the tomograms and drilling results
- Clear recommendations, with priorities and timescales
- A works specification to BS3998:2010, ready for quotes
- Where a council is involved, a report its tree officer can review
FAQ
Can I cut down a dangerous protected tree?
Only under a narrow exemption for trees that are dead or present an urgent risk of serious harm, and the council must be given notice. If the council disagrees the tree was dangerous, the burden is on you to prove it, so get independent evidence first.
The council says my tree is dangerous. Do I have to fell it?
You have to make it safe within the time the notice allows. That isn’t always felling, but depending on the tree and its species it often is. We’ll tell you honestly whether another option is realistic.
Title or QuestDo I need TPO consent if the council has served a dangerous tree notice?ion
In cases we’ve dealt with, the council confirmed the notice took precedence and no TPO application was needed. Confirm this with your council in writing before any work starts.
Who is responsible if my tree falls?
Generally the owner of the land the tree grows on. Having trees inspected and acting on the findings is how owners show they’ve taken reasonable care.
Does a fungus mean the tree has to come down?estion
No. It depends on the species of fungus, how far the decay has spread and where the tree stands. Identifying the fungus and measuring the decay answers the question.
How quickly can you come out?
Urgent safety concerns are prioritised. Tell us in your enquiry if there’s a council deadline or the tree is near a road, building or busy area.
Do you cut the tree as well?
No. We’re an independent consultancy and carry out no tree works, so our advice isn’t shaped by selling the work.
Dangerous Tree Assessment — Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire & Merseyside
We assess dangerous and damaged trees across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside, and further afield for decay detection. Send us the address, a photo of the tree, and any council letter or notice, and we’ll come back with a fixed-fee quote, usually within two hours during working hours.
