Tree safety management

Trees play an important role as a living landscape and green infrastructure in the rural and urban areas of Norfolk. They provide many cultural, financial, wildlife and amenity benefits. However, trees are large structures and have the potential to cause damage or injury if they fail.

If you have trees in your school grounds you will need to comply with the Tree Safety Management Policy (PDF) [2MB]. This policy is a management plan enabling the County Council to fulfil its legal duty to ensure that its trees don't pose a danger to members of the public or property.

It ensures a systematic planned inspection regime is undertaken to identify trees with obvious defects, so that appropriate proactive remedial work can be carried out.

Please note that due to the recent spread of Chalara, or Ash dieback, we've also produced an addendum to the Tree Safety Management Policy. This is called Addendum 1 - Chalara ash dieback (PDF) [1MB] and has guidelines on how to deal with inspections in your grounds.

Implementing the policy will balance the benefits that the trees in your school provide with the foreseeable hazards that they pose and will help to keep the trees safe for the future.

Compliance - Forms A and B

Form A

This is the inspection sheet for your school to complete to show that the school trees have been inspected according to the intervals in the Site Zoning regime shown in Appendix 1 of the policy.

It must be filed by your school for auditing purposes and retained for ten years.

Form A - Site tree inspection form (Word doc) [12KB]

Form B

This must be completed and sent to the aboricultural officers where a tree is found to have a significant defect, or if a Level 1 inspector wants to make a referral for a more comprehensive inspection.

The arboricultural officers will inspect the tree(s), fill in the relevant parts of the form and return it to your school for action. Once any recommended work is completed, the arboricultural officers must be informed, and Form B should be filed by your school, as per Form A.

• Form B - Tree defect report form (Word doc) [14KB]
• Form B2 - Multiple tree defect form (Word doc) [16KB]

• What is that tree? - a guide to help you with identification (PDF) [16MB]
• What to do in the event of high winds (PDF) [27KB]
• Removing ivy from trees (PDF) [13KB]
• Surveying for bats in trees and woodland (PDF) [1MB]

Level 1 tree inspection courses

The Lantra Basic Tree Survey and Inspection course is the equivalent of Level 1 and is now offered by EasTec UK Ltd.

For details and booking information visit EasTec UK Ltd (opens new window).

Level 2 tree inspection courses

We've had several requests asking if there is a further course that builds on the knowledge gained in the Level 1 inspection course.

We're happy to try and organise such a course if we have enough interest. For simplicity we will call it Level 2 Tree Inspection. If you are interested, please contact Sharon Bland on 01603 222112.

The County Council maintains a list of tree surgeons (PDF) [194KB] and only contractors on this list should be used to carry out work to trees on Norfolk County Council's land.

They have the correct insurance, certification and carry out work in accordance with the British Standard for tree pruning.

Questions about trees or the tree policy

The Arboricultural and Woodland team will answer any questions you may have relating to trees or the tree policy. Please email tree.enquiry@norfolk.gov.uk for any tree related enquiry or contact one of the following officers:

• Tom Russell Grant, Arboricultural and Woodland Team Leader: tom.russellgrant@norfolk.gov.uk
• Paul Kaufmann-Ward, Arboricultural and Woodland Officer: paul.kaufmann-ward@norfolk.gov.uk
• Will Harrowven, Arboricultural and Woodland Officer: will.harrowven@norfolk.gov.uk
• Giles Davis, Arboricultural and Woodland Officer: giles.davis@norfolk.gov.uk
• Sharon Bland, Arboricultural and Woodland Technician: sharon.bland@norfolk.gov.uk
• Jo Greaves, Assistant Arb & Woodland Officer: jo.greaves@norfolk.gov.uk

Phone: 01603 222112

Address: Community and Environmental Services, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2SG

Grounds Advisory Service

The Grounds Advisory Service is able to supply individual school tree management policies. Please call 01362 869930.