How to Select and Appoint a Qualified Arboricultural Consultant


The arboricultural consultancy sector is largely unregulated. Anyone can describe themselves as a tree surveyor or arboricultural consultant regardless of qualifications or experience.



For a report that will be submitted to a local planning authority, used in legal proceedings, relied upon by a mortgage lender, or used to support a duty of care defence, the qualifications, experience and independence of the consultant you appoint matter enormously.


This guide explains what to look for, what to ask, and what separates a genuinely qualified arboricultural consultant from someone who simply calls themselves one.

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Qualifications to Look For

Academic qualifications

The Level 6 Diploma in Arboriculture is the highest academic qualification available in the profession and the standard expected by local planning authorities and the courts for complex consultancy work.



The Level 4 Diploma represents a solid professional qualification. The Level 3 Certificate is a practical qualification more suited to tree surgery than to consultancy.

Inspection and risk qualifications

The Lantra Professional Tree Inspection certificate (PTI) is the standard qualification for inspection work, demonstrating formal training in Visual Tree Assessment to professional inspection standard.


Licensed QTRA user status shows the consultant is accredited to apply quantified tree risk assessment.

Professional membership

Professional Membership of the Arboricultural Association (MArborA) requires demonstration of professional competence and peer review, and is the recognised professional standard for work involving protected trees, planning submissions and expert witness reports. Look for the letters after the consultant's name.

Independence Matters

One of the most important and most frequently overlooked factors is independence from tree surgery contractors.


A consultant who also carries out or arranges tree surgery has a financial interest in the works they recommend. That interest does not have to be acted on to be a problem — it only has to be visible to whoever is reading the report and deciding whether to rely on it.


An independent consultant, with no connection to any tree surgery contractor, provides advice based entirely on arboricultural merit and has no commercial interest in the outcome.


This matters particularly for homeowners seeking pre-purchase advice, landowners making risk management decisions, and developers relying on reports that will be scrutinised by a local authority tree officer.



Always ask whether your consultant has any connection to tree surgery contractors before appointing them.

Questions to Ask Before Appointing

  • What are your arboricultural qualifications, and are you a professional member of the Arboricultural Association?
  • Are you a licensed QTRA user, or trained in another recognised risk framework?
  • Do you hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and to what level?
  • Are you independent from tree surgery contractors?
  • Have you worked with my local planning authority before, and are you familiar with their validation requirements?
  • Can you provide references from similar projects?
  • What is your experience with the specific survey I need — BS5837, tree risk assessment, decay detection, or a TPO application?
  • Who will actually attend site and write the report — you, or someone else?
  • Is your fee fixed, and what would trigger an additional charge?

What to Expect From a Qualified Consultant

A qualified consultant will:

  • Provide a written fee proposal before any work begins
  • Attend site in person rather than relying on desk-based assessment
  • Produce a written report explaining the methodology, the findings, and the recommendations in plain language
  • Be available to discuss the findings and answer questions after the report is delivered
  • Liaise directly with the local planning authority, insurers or legal advisors where required


Reports produced by qualified consultants reference the relevant British Standards, NTSG guidance and case law where appropriate, are produced in the consultant's own name with their qualifications clearly stated, and are covered by professional indemnity insurance.


If a report does not clearly state the qualifications of the person who produced it, treat that as a warning sign.

Warning Signs

  • A report with no named author or no stated qualifications
  • A quote given without any site details being requested
  • A consultant who also offers to carry out the works they recommend
  • No professional indemnity insurance, or an unwillingness to state the level
  • A price notably below everything else, which usually means a narrower scope rather than better value
  • Recommendations to fell without any investigation of the tree's actual condition
  • A report that will not be issued until payment is made in full, before you have seen it

Why Choose Urban Tree Management

Our consultants hold the Level 6 Diploma in Arboriculture, the Lantra Professional Tree Inspection Certificate, Licensed QTRA user status, and Professional Membership of the Arboricultural Association.


We are completely independent from tree surgery contractors, carry public liability insurance to £5,000,000 and professional indemnity to £1,000,000, and are experienced in working with every local planning authority across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire.


Our specialist diagnostic capability — Arbotom sonic tomography, Rinntech Resistograph R650, ArboStApp structural analysis, ArWiLo wind load modelling and ArboRadix root plate mapping — places us in a very small group of consultancies in the North West able to offer this level of investigation. Other arboricultural practices subcontract their decay detection work to us.


The consultant who attends your site writes the report and answers the phone.


For full details of our team and qualifications see our About Us page.

How Much Does a Tree Survey Cost?

Costs vary depending on the type of survey, the number of trees, the size of the site, and the level of reporting required.


Urban Tree Management provides all surveys on a fixed-fee basis — you will always know exactly what you will pay before we attend site. Send us your site address and a brief description and we will provide a written quote, typically within two hours during working hours.


See our tree survey costs page for what affects the price.

  • Is arboricultural consultancy regulated?


    No. There is no statutory regulation and no protected title — anyone can call themselves an arboricultural consultant. Qualifications and professional membership are the only reliable indicators of competence.

  • Do I need a Level 6 qualified consultant?


    For a straightforward survey, not necessarily. For a planning submission that will be scrutinised, a report used in legal proceedings, or anything requiring quantified risk assessment, it is the standard expected.

  • Can a tree surgeon produce an arboricultural report?


    Some can, and some hold consultancy qualifications. But where the same firm would carry out the works recommended, the report is open to challenge on grounds of interest — which matters most in exactly the situations where you need it to hold up.

  • How do I check a consultant is who they claim to be?


    The Arboricultural Association publishes a directory of professional members and registered consultants. Qualifications can be verified with the awarding body. Any consultant who is reluctant to confirm their qualifications is telling you something.

  • What insurance should a consultant have?


    Professional indemnity insurance covering the advice given, and public liability covering site attendance. Ask for the levels rather than just confirmation that cover exists.

Independent, Qualified Arboricultural Consultants — Greater Manchester, Lancashire & Cheshire

Urban Tree Management provides independent arboricultural consultancy for clients of all types across the North West — fully qualified, professionally insured, and completely independent from tree surgery contractors.


Get in contact with our highly experienced and personable team of arboricultural consultants today, to discuss your requirements and to obtain your zero obligation quotation.

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