How do I find out if my tree has a TPO?

The local planning authority holds the register — Perth & Kinross Council for most of our area, with Stirling and Angus councils covering the western and eastern edges. We will tell you at the site visit whether we think protection is likely and point you at the right department; the definitive confirmation always comes from the council.

Can I prune a tree in a conservation area?

Not without giving the planning authority prior written notice — generally six weeks in Scotland for trees above the threshold size — during which they can decide to make a TPO. It applies even when the tree is entirely within your own garden.

What happens if work is done without consent?

Unauthorised work on a protected tree is a criminal offence and can carry a substantial fine, with a replanting requirement on top. The liability sits with the tree's owner as well as the contractor, which is why we always check before quoting.

Is there an exception for a dangerous tree?

There are limited exemptions for dead trees and for work urgently necessary to remove an immediate risk of harm, but the threshold is high, notification is still required, and photographic evidence of the danger matters. Never rely on the exemption without advice.

Do you charge for the tree assessment?

The site visit and our practical assessment are free, as with all our quotes. If you need a formal written arboricultural report for planning or a legal matter, that is a consultancy product we do not provide and we will say so.

Can you tell if a tree is dying?

We can identify the visible indicators — dieback in the crown, fungal fruiting bodies, bark loss, cavities, poor annual growth, root damage — and give you a practical view. Internal decay testing with specialist equipment is a consultant's job, and we will tell you when a tree warrants one.

My neighbour's tree overhangs my garden — what can I do?

In Scotland you generally may cut back growth to the boundary line, but the material remains the neighbour's property and the tree may still be protected. Talking to the neighbour first is nearly always cheaper than the alternative; we are happy to explain to both parties what the tree actually needs.

Do you handle the council application for me?

We will guide you through what needs submitting and provide the technical description of the proposed works for your application. The application itself is made by the tree's owner, which is how the councils prefer it.

How often should big trees be checked?

For large trees close to a house, a boundary or a public path, every couple of years is sensible, plus a look after any severe storm. For let and commercial property, a documented periodic check supports your duty of care.

Which councils and areas do you cover?

Mainly Perth & Kinross — Crieff, Perth, Comrie, Auchterarder, Blairgowrie, Pitlochry, Aberfeldy and Killin — plus Stirling Council for Stirling and Callander, and Angus and Dundee City to the east.

Tree Surveys & TPO Advice

Tree Condition Checks & TPO AdviceAcross Perth & KinrossKnow Where You Stand Before You Cut

A straight assessment of the trees on your property, what work they actually need, and whether that work needs council consent first. Free site visit, fixed price for any work that follows, no deposit.

Get My Free Estimate Call 07475 783 877

16 verified 5-star reviews · Fully insured · Working across Perth & Kinross, Stirling and Angus

9+ years back in the trade (since 2017)
Fully insured — Public & Employers' Liability
SEPA-registered waste carrier
Fixed-price quotes — no deposits taken
Workmanship guaranteed on fencing, turf & plants

Overview

What tree surveys & tpo advice actually involves.

What it is

This is the assessment work that comes before tree surgery: walking your trees, identifying what is sound and what is not, recommending the right work in the right order, and — critically in Perthshire — establishing whether the tree is protected by a Tree Preservation Order or stands in a conservation area, in which case work without consent is a criminal offence. It is advice and paperwork guidance, not a substitute for a formal arboricultural consultancy report where planning requires one.

Who it's for

Homeowners in Crieff, Perth and Dunblane conservation areas who want to reduce a tree and are unsure whether they can. Buyers with a survey that flags trees close to a building. Landlords and letting agents with duty-of-care obligations. Estates and farms with mature parkland trees. Anyone who has had a letter from the council, a neighbour's solicitor or an insurer asking about a tree.

When it's needed

Before you commit to any work on a mature tree, before you buy a property with significant trees on it, after a storm when several trees have shifted, and at least once every few years for large trees near a house, a boundary or a public path. Winter is the easiest time to see structure in deciduous trees; summer is better for reading canopy health and foliage.

Why professional help matters

Two separate risks sit here. The first is physical: misjudging a defect on a mature tree over a house. The second is legal: felling or heavily pruning a protected tree can bring a substantial fine, and 'I didn't know it was protected' is not a defence. Knowing which trees in Perth & Kinross are likely to be covered — and how the council's process actually runs — saves both.

If it's left

What happens when this gets put off.

The reason people call us is almost always that the small job is now a bigger one. Here's what's usually happening under the surface.

Unlawful work on a protected tree

Cutting a tree covered by a Tree Preservation Order, or a tree over 75mm diameter in a conservation area, without the required consent or notice is an offence in Scotland, and it can carry a serious fine. Contractors who 'just get on with it' leave the owner carrying that.

Missed defects on a big tree

Fungal brackets at the base, cavities, included forks, deadwood over a path — every one of them a warning that has been visible for a while. Owners are held to a standard of reasonable care, which starts with actually looking.

Wrong work at the wrong time

Topping a mature tree creates weak regrowth and a worse problem in five years. Over-lifting a crown destabilises it. Bad advice costs more than no advice.

Problems at sale or planning stage

Trees near proposed extensions, drives or drainage routinely hold up planning in Perth & Kinross. Establishing the position early is far cheaper than discovering it mid-application.

Common mistakes we're called in to fix

Assuming a tree in your own garden is automatically yours to fell — in a conservation area, it usually is not.
Taking a neighbour's word, or a contractor's, on whether a TPO applies rather than checking with the council.
Asking for 'a good hard cut back' on a mature specimen — topping is the fastest way to ruin a tree.
Ignoring fungal fruiting bodies at the base because the canopy still looks green.
Getting a quote for felling before anyone has established whether felling is legal or even necessary.

Our process

Step by step, so nothing surprises you.

01

Free site visit

We come out, walk the trees with you and listen to what is actually worrying you — light, leaves, a neighbour, a survey, a noise in the wind.
02

Visual condition check

A ground-level visual assessment of each significant tree: species, rough age class, structure, obvious defects, fungal activity, deadwood, ground disturbance around the base and what sits within falling distance.
03

Protection status check

We establish whether the property sits in a conservation area and whether a Tree Preservation Order is likely to apply, and we point you at the correct Perth & Kinross Council (or Stirling, or Angus) process for confirming it and applying.
04

Plain recommendations

What needs doing, what does not, and in what order — deadwooding, crown reduction, crown lift, thinning, monitoring, or removal. Written in plain English with reasons, not a list of jargon.
05

Quote and carry out the work

If the tree is unprotected, or once consent is granted, the same insured team can carry out the work at a fixed price with no deposit. If you would rather a full formal arboricultural report for planning, we will tell you that is what you need.

Why book us

Specific outcomes — not vague promises.

You find out before you cut

The consent question answered at the start, not after a letter from the council.

Honest recommendations

Including telling you a tree is fine and needs nothing — we would rather keep a customer than sell a felling.

Local council knowledge

Working across Perth & Kinross, Stirling and Angus every week, on conservation-area streets in Crieff, Perth and Dunblane.

One team, start to finish

The people advising are the people who would do the work — fully insured, SEPA-registered for the waste.

Useful for insurers and buyers

A clear written summary of tree condition supports a claim, a sale or a duty-of-care file.

Free to get an opinion

The site visit costs nothing and there is no deposit on anything that follows.

In detail

Tree Surveys & TPO Advice — the full picture.

Perthshire has an unusually high concentration of protected and significant trees. Crieff, Perth, Dunblane, Auchterarder and Aberfeldy all have conservation areas with substantial Victorian planting; the region's estates and policies are full of mature specimen trees planted in the 1800s that are now at the age where structural defects appear. If you own a large tree here, the odds that it carries some form of protection are far higher than they would be in a modern estate — which is exactly why the question deserves asking before a chainsaw is booked.

Methods & materials

What a Tree Preservation Order actually does

A TPO is made by the local authority — Perth & Kinross Council for most of our area — and it makes it an offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot or wilfully damage the protected tree without written consent. TPOs can cover a single tree, a group, or a whole woodland. Consent is applied for using the council's process, and conditions such as replanting are often attached. Exceptions exist for dead trees and for work urgently necessary to remove an immediate danger, but the bar for 'urgent' is high and the council must still be notified.

Conservation areas

Separately from TPOs, trees above a certain size in a conservation area are protected by default. In Scotland you generally must give the planning authority six weeks' written notice before carrying out work on such a tree, giving them the chance to make a TPO. Plenty of Crieff and Perth townhouse gardens fall into this category and their owners have no idea until they enquire.

Felling permissions beyond planning

Larger-volume felling outside a garden can also require a felling permission from Scottish Forestry, which is a separate regime from TPOs and conservation areas. It rarely affects a single garden tree, but it does affect shelter belts, woodland edges and estate work, and it is worth establishing before a contractor starts.

What we look at in a condition check

Root plate and ground for lifting or cracking; base and buttress for cavities, wounds and fungal brackets; stem for included bark, splits, bulges and old failure points; union points and major limbs for weakness; canopy for deadwood, dieback and unbalanced weight; and the target beneath — a house, a road, a play area or an empty field. A defect over a paddock and the same defect over a nursery are entirely different risk conversations.

Where a formal report is needed instead

If you are submitting a planning application involving trees, dealing with a subsidence claim or in a legal dispute, you will likely need a formal arboricultural report to a recognised standard from a consultant. That is not what we provide, and we will say so plainly rather than sell you something that will not be accepted. What we give you is a practical condition assessment and clear guidance on consent.

Variations we cover

Single-tree opinion

The most common request: one big tree, one worried owner. Free visit, straight answer on condition, protection status and what work is sensible.

Whole-property tree walk

For larger gardens, estates and farms — every significant tree looked at, prioritised into urgent, this-winter and monitor, so budget can be planned rather than reacted to.

Pre-purchase check

Before you buy: what condition are the trees in, what will they cost to maintain, and are they protected in a way that limits what you can do with the garden.

Post-storm reassessment

After a failure, the surviving trees have lost shelter and may have hidden damage. A walk-round after a bad storm is the cheapest insurance there is.

Landlord and duty-of-care checks

For let properties, holiday lets and commercial premises where a written record of periodic tree inspection supports your obligations under occupiers' liability.

Residential vs commercial

For homeowners this is usually about one tree and one decision. For estates, farms, letting agents and businesses it is about a population of trees, a budget, and a defensible record that inspections took place and recommendations were acted on. We work with both, and we are open about the boundary between practical advice and formal consultancy so nobody ends up with the wrong document at the wrong moment.

Conservation-area and TPO enquiries handled across Crieff, Perth, Dunblane, Auchterarder and the wider Perth & Kinross area.

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FAQs

Straight answers to the questions we're asked most.

Can't see yours? Give Andrew a call on 07475 783 877.

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A fixed price for your tree surveys & tpo advice — usually within 24 hours.

Free site visit. No deposit. Fully insured. Waste taken away under our SEPA licence. Workmanship guaranteed.