Tree Risk Management for Liverpool John Moores University Campus

THE CHALLENGE:

Liverpool John Moores University manages a large and geographically dispersed campus across multiple sites in Liverpool and Merseyside — with trees present across a wide range of environments including formal courtyards, student accommodation grounds, sports facilities, and historic buildings.

As a large public institution with significant student footfall and reputational obligations, the university required a comprehensive, professionally documented tree risk management programme that would satisfy its duty of care obligations across all campuses and provide a defensible audit trail of inspection, assessment, and action.

OUR ROLE:

Urban Tree Management designed and delivered a campus-wide tree inspection and risk assessment programme for Liverpool John Moores University, covering all trees across the university's multiple sites. All trees were assessed using the Visual Tree Assessment methodology and risk-rated using QTRA — Quantified Tree Risk Assessment — allowing risk to be compared against established tolerance thresholds and managed proportionately across a complex, high-footfall institutional environment.

All survey data was recorded digitally using GPS-enabled survey software, producing georeferenced tree location plans for every campus site, condition and risk ratings for every tree inspected, and a prioritised works schedule identifying all trees requiring management intervention and the recommended timescale for each action.

THE OUTCOME:

Liverpool John Moores University received a complete, professionally documented tree risk management dataset covering all campus sites — providing the institution with clear evidence that its duty of care obligations were being actively and systematically managed, a prioritised works schedule for all recommended tree works, and a defensible audit trail of inspection and assessment that satisfied the university's governance and insurance requirements.

The programme has since been maintained on a cyclical basis, building a continuously updated record of the university's tree stock across all campuses.