BS5837:2012 Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction

There is increasing scientific proof that trees can directly benefit people in rural and urban contexts. Increasing the amount of available housing and places of work does not have to preclude nature and the natural environment. There are trade offs and compromises that can benefit both society and nature.

The BS 5837:2012 standard has been devised by the British Safety Institute in recognition of these benefits to society and is intended to support decision-making in regard to existing and proposed trees in design, demolition and construction. These recommendations take into account growth in the roots, stem and crown of a tree throughout its life cycle. Planning considerations, therefore, need to consider temporal as well as spatial changes and movements of trees.

Trees are living things, and consequently, they change over time. This can lead to risks if they are in contact with people, buildings or infrastructure. If trees are present on a proposed development site, these risks can affect the proposed building in the long-term or the people that are undertaking the construction. Both the trees and the people need to be kept safe.

We provide the skills and the knowledge to be able to survey the trees present on a proposed site to ascertain their health and beneficial value. We have worked on numerous projects across a broad width of scales.