Tree Surveys for Holiday Parks & Caravan Sites
Holiday parks are some of the busiest places trees stand. Guests sleep, eat and play beneath them, caravans and lodges sit within falling distance, and in peak season the number of people under a single tree can be higher than almost anywhere else on the estate.
Urban Tree Management provides tree risk surveys and arboricultural advice for holiday parks, caravan sites and lodge parks across the North West and North Wales — from pre-season inspections to planning support for new pitches and lodges. We’ve surveyed holiday parks across the region and understand how they operate.
Why Holiday Parks Are Different
Occupancy. A tree over an empty field and a tree over a row of statics in August are very different risks, even if the tree is identical. The inspection has to reflect how the park is actually used.
Light structures. Caravans and lodges offer little protection from a falling limb. What would dent a house roof can go straight through a static.
Seasonality. Most parks are busiest exactly when trees are in full leaf and summer limb drop is most likely, and many close over winter when storm damage happens. Timing the inspection before the season opens matters.
Overnight use. Guests are under the trees at night and in bad weather, not just passing through.
Zoning the Park
Not every tree needs the same attention. We zone the park by how each area is used — pitches and lodge plots, play areas, roads and walkways, the clubhouse and reception, and the boundary woodland guests rarely enter — and set inspection intervals to match, with the reasoning recorded.
Effort goes where guests are, and the written rationale is what stands up if a tree ever fails. Each tree is assessed using QTRA, so the risk is set against what’s actually beneath it. See tree risk management.
Pre-Season Inspections
The most useful point to inspect is before the park opens — after the winter storms and before the guests arrive. We schedule inspections to fit your season, flag anything that needs dealing with before opening, and give you a clear, prioritised works list your contractor can price.
Available as a one-off or on a retained basis, with reinspection dates tracked and one annual figure.
Common Issues We Find
- Ash dieback in boundary woodland and hedgerows, often right behind the pitches — see ash dieback
- Deadwood and weak branch unions over pitches and play areas
- Root damage from bases, hardstanding, drainage and service trenches cut around trees
- Coastal exposure on parks near the sea, where wind loading shapes how trees fail
- Trees planted too close to pitches decades ago that have now outgrown their space
Where a valued tree’s condition is in question, our in-house decay detection establishes what’s inside it before anyone decides to fell.
New Pitches, Lodges and Park Extensions
Adding pitches or lodges, or extending a park, usually needs planning permission — and where there are trees, a BS5837 survey and the documents that follow. Many rural parks also have protected trees or sit in sensitive landscapes. We set out where pitches can go, how bases and services can be installed without killing the trees around them, and what the planning authority will need.
We prepared the full BS5837 package for a caravan park extension in the Conwy valley, for example — survey, impact assessment, protection plan and method statement.
What You Receive
- A survey of the trees across the park, zoned by use
- QTRA risk assessment on each tree
- A prioritised works schedule your contractor can price
- GPS-mapped records and tracked reinspection dates
- Where needed, BS5837 packages for planning and TPO applications
Carried out by Carl Riva, Dip Arb (ABC) Level 6, MArborA, QTRA Registered User. Consultancy only — we carry out no tree works, so the works list is what the trees need, not what sells.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should trees on a holiday park be inspected?
It depends on the zone. Busy areas like pitches and play areas are usually inspected more often than boundary woodland. We set the interval for each zone and record why.
When is the best time to inspect?
Before the season opens, after the winter storms. We can schedule around your opening date.
Do you do the tree works as well?
No. We’re consultancy only. We give you a prioritised works list your contractor can price — or we can get quotes and check the work on your behalf.
We want to add more lodges. Do we need a tree survey?
If there are trees on or near where they’ll go, almost certainly — the planning authority will usually ask for a BS5837 survey.
Holiday Park & Caravan Site Tree Surveys — North West & North Wales
Trees make a holiday park what it is. Keeping them, and keeping guests safe beneath them, takes inspection that reflects how the park is used.
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.
