Tree risk assessments & condition surveys (QTRA)

Yes. Under the Occupiers' Liability Acts 1957 and 1984, landowners and occupiers owe a duty of care to people on or near their land, and that includes taking reasonable steps to manage the risk from trees. Proportionate, documented inspections by a competent person are the usual way to show that duty is being met.

QTRA looks at three things: what could be hit and how often (the target), the size of the part that could fail, and the probability that it will fail. These are combined into an annual Risk of Harm, which can be compared with widely accepted thresholds of tolerable and acceptable risk — so decisions are proportionate and the benefits of keeping the tree are weighed too.

There's no single legal interval. It depends on the trees' condition and how busy the area around them is — a tree beside a school gate or a busy road needs inspecting more often than one in a rarely visited field. I'll recommend an inspection regime that's proportionate to your site.

A condition survey records each tree's health, structure and any defects, with recommendations for work. QTRA goes a step further where people or property could be harmed, quantifying the risk so it can be compared with accepted thresholds and with the cost of reducing it. Many surveys combine both.

It depends on the number of trees, the size of the site and how detailed the assessment needs to be — a single tree of concern is a very different job from a whole estate. Every site is different, so you get a clear fixed quote up front, usually within one working day.