Renewable Energy Development Tree Surveys
Urban Tree Management provides specialist arboricultural surveys and reports for solar farm, wind farm, and wider renewable energy developments across the North West and nationwide.
Working as part of multidisciplinary project teams alongside ecologists, planners, and civil engineers, we deliver BS5837-compliant tree and hedgerow assessments that satisfy local planning authority requirements and keep your project on programme.
BS5837-Compliant Reports for Solar and Wind Farm Projects
Trees and hedgerows are a material consideration in the planning process for all renewable energy developments. Whether you are proposing a solar farm on agricultural land, a wind turbine installation on an upland site, or a battery storage facility within an existing landscape, any trees or hedgerows on or near the site will need to be surveyed, assessed, and accounted for in your planning submission.
We carry out initial tree and hedgerow surveys for renewable energy sites at the earliest stage of feasibility, identifying constraints and opportunities before design work begins. Trees and hedgerows are assessed in accordance with BS5837:2012 and the Hedgerow Regulations 1997, with advice on how existing vegetation can be integrated into the scheme layout, retained alongside infrastructure, or appropriately managed during construction and operation.
We work on renewable energy projects of all scales, from single-turbine and small solar installations through to large utility-scale schemes requiring multi-site surveys and programme-managed reporting.
Beyond the Array — The Whole Development Footprint
The panels or the turbine bases are rarely where the arboricultural problem sits. On renewable schemes the constraints most often arise in the parts of the development that get designed last.
Cable routes and grid connection corridors are the single most commonly overlooked element. A connection route running several kilometres to the point of common coupling will cross hedgerows, field boundaries and root protection areas, and a route fixed before the arboricultural position is known frequently has to be redesigned.
Access tracks need to accommodate abnormal loads on wind schemes — turbine blades and crane components require wide swept paths and generous headroom, which brings crown clearance and hedgerow removal into play well beyond the running surface.
Substation compounds, inverter stations and battery enclosures are sited for electrical efficiency rather than arboricultural convenience, and their hardstanding and drainage carry the same root protection constraints as any building.
Security fencing and CCTV lines run the full site perimeter, which on an agricultural site is usually along the hedgerows.
We assess the full development footprint, not just the generating area.
Hedgerows — A Separate Consideration
On agricultural sites hedgerows frequently matter more than the trees.
Hedgerows may qualify as "important" under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997 on archaeological, historical, wildlife or landscape criteria — and where they do, removal requires notification to the local planning authority, which can issue a retention notice. That assessment is entirely separate from BS5837 and needs carrying out before a layout is fixed, because a hedgerow that cannot be removed will dictate where access, cable routes and fencing can go.
Hedgerows are also usually the most significant habitat feature on an arable site, which makes them central to the biodiversity net gain position as well as the arboricultural one.
What We Deliver for Renewable Energy Projects
- Initial tree and hedgerow survey to BS5837:2012
- Hedgerow survey and assessment under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997
- Tree Constraints Plan showing RPAs, crown spreads and hedgerow locations
- Arboricultural Impact Assessment for planning submission
- Cable route and infrastructure corridor arboricultural assessments
- Tree Protection Plan and Arboricultural Method Statement for the construction phase
- BNG-compatible baseline tree and hedgerow data
- Construction phase monitoring and clerk of works support
- Nationwide coverage for large-scale and multi-site schemes
Why Early Arboricultural Input Saves Time and Cost
The most common cause of delay on renewable energy planning applications involving trees is insufficient arboricultural information submitted at validation stage.
Engaging us at feasibility — before the site layout is fixed — allows your design team to avoid siting infrastructure within root protection areas, plan cable routes that avoid important hedgerows, and produce a layout local planning authorities are more likely to approve without onerous conditions.
Early involvement also allows BNG baseline data to be captured at the same time as the BS5837 survey, avoiding a return site visit and reducing overall survey costs.
Working With Your Project Team
Renewable schemes are delivered by multidisciplinary teams, and the arboricultural element rarely sits in isolation. We work directly for developers and land agents, and as subcontractor to ecological consultancies, planning consultants and engineering practices — under their project management and, where required, under their branding.
Survey outputs are supplied as georeferenced DXF at OS National Grid coordinates, compatible with AutoCAD, BricsCAD and QCAD, so the arboricultural layer drops directly into the design team's drawing set. Where a CAD base is provided we work from it at no additional cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a tree survey for a solar farm?
If there are trees or hedgerows on or adjacent to the site, yes — and that includes along cable routes, access tracks and the site perimeter. Local planning authorities treat trees and hedgerows as a material consideration and most require a BS5837 report as a validation item.
Do hedgerows need a separate assessment?
Frequently. Hedgerows on agricultural land may qualify as "important" under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997, which restricts removal and requires notification to the authority. That assessment is separate from BS5837 and should be carried out before the layout is fixed.
Does the cable route need assessing as well as the site?
Yes, and it is the element most often overlooked. Grid connection corridors can run for kilometres and cross numerous hedgerows and root protection areas. A route fixed before the arboricultural position is understood frequently needs redesigning, which is expensive at that stage.
Can BNG and tree survey data be captured on the same visit?
Yes, and it is the sensible approach. One visit avoids a return trip, reduces cost, and keeps the arboricultural and ecological datasets consistent with one another.
Renewable Energy Tree Surveys — North West & Nationwide
Trees and hedgerows on a renewable energy site are a planning consideration whether the scheme is a single turbine or a utility-scale solar farm — and insufficient arboricultural information at validation stage is one of the more common causes of delay.
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.
