An Arboricultural Report may be requested for two reasons. There may be concern regarding the health and condition of a tree, or there may be concern that the tree roots are affecting, or could affect, a property.
In addition to trees, creeping plants such as ivy can over time cause immense damage to old buildings.Concerns regarding the health and condition of the tree generally arise because it could pose a danger to the property or to people from branches breaking off or even the whole tree being blown over by high winds. This is definitely a job for an Arboriculturalist who will advise on the risks and what pruning or other measures are necessary.
Concerns regarding tree roots which may affect the foundations of a property occur when the underlying ground is clay. In order to assess the risks it is necessary to establish the tree species and its distance from the property, the depth of the foundations, and to recover soils samples for laboratory tests to determine the 'Shrinkage Potential' of the clay. From these factors it is possible to assess the risks using tables from the NHBC Standards. Although an arboriculturalist can do this, it is not essential and the matter could be entrusted to an Engineer or Surveyor.