TPO Protected Trees
Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) are placed on trees by local councils. In most cases it is illegal to fell, prune or cause root damage to TPO’d trees without permission. If you fail to get the necessary permissions, you could be fined. Fines can be £10,000 and upwards depending on the value of the tree.
Moray, Aberdeenshire, and Aberdeen City councils all use Tree Preservation Orders to protect trees.
Epic Tree Care can carry out tree preservation order checks to find out whether they are protected by a TPO. If your tree is protected by a Tree Preservation Order, we can inspect, write a tree report and apply for consent for any required works. Our expert written tree reports can help in gaining consent for pruning, felling, or working around protected trees.
Tree Protection Order
Epic Tree Care has developed a strong reputation with local council tree officers in northeast Scotland. We enjoy finding practical tree management and maintenance solutions for protected trees. Where trees are genuinely unsafe or too large for their space, we can document this and apply for tree works to be carried out by our tree surgeons.
If there are concerns for TPO trees safety, or they are damaging buildings and you want to keep them. We’ll work hard to find innovative solutions to help your retain them, safely and with minimal harm to the surroundings.
Sometimes innovative building works around and accommodating the tree can extend a trees life span for a significant time after it would otherwise have been removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Determining if a tree is protected is a straightforward process. All you have to do is conduct a tree preservation order check. You can do that by going to your local council website where they will have a list of all trees in the area with TPOs assigned to them. If the website is down you can contact the local council planning department directly. They will be able to tell you which, if any, trees on your property are protected.
Not without permission from the local council. And unless you have a genuinely compelling reason for felling the tree it is unlikely permission will be granted. However, it may be possible to relocate the protected tree. But again, you will need approval from the local council to do that. If the council agrees the tree can be moved the experts at Epic Tree Care can move it for you quickly and safely.
If you conducted a tree preservation order check and discovered a tree on your property was protected by an active TPO the question arises whether you can fell that tree if it has died. The law states you may be able to remove a dead tree without council approval even if that tree was under a TPO. Be aware, however, that the onus to prove the tree was actually dead will fall upon you. For that reason, it is advisable to take photos and even keep samples of the tree. Or better yet, call the pros at Epic Tree Care who can verify for you if the tree is dead or not. Be aware that even though the law provides the right to remove a dead tree without council permission you can make your life easier by keeping the local council informed of your situation and intentions.
Let’s say a tree preservation order check reveals a protected tree on your property. You apply to the local council to have the tree felled and they refuse. That tree then goes on to cause damage to a neighbour’s property. Will the local council cover the cost of those damages? It depends on how the damage was caused as well as the amount of damage. If a professional determines the damage could have been avoided if the tree had been felled, the council may reimburse.
Even if the local council refused your application to fell the protected tree they are not liable to cover the cost of maintenance, including pruning. The property owner is responsible for the maintenance of all trees on their property, protected or not.
Testimonials
Trevor Bower2024-06-24I needed to thin an overcrowded small copse at the bottom of my garden. I am so glad I chose Epic Tree Care, as right from the beginning with the visit from Elaine to advise what the best solution would be, to the work being carried out by Jason and his team everything was excellent. The friendly men on site worked professionally and efficiently and with care to avoid any unnecessary damage to remaining trees and fences. They left the site clean and tidy, overall a pleasant experience. I would strongly recommend this company.Gale Solomon2024-06-13Great service with good tidy up, helpful and friendlyRosemary Carroll2024-06-04I recently bought a new home that had very tall, very unkempt hedges and a few rotten and self-seeded trees. Clive and Elaine's team were amazing from start to finish. Elaine came out to assess the job first and I told her my budget. She worked with it to get the maximum amount of work from it, and gave a timescale for the job to be completed by. The team appeared on time at the job and were polite, happy and very informative. They went over the job list to make sure I was happy. Then they got to work. Everything was done to an incredibly high standard. The equipment itself was very impressive. The professionalism of the team was really lovely to see. They even paused at regular intervals to tidy up around them! After they were finished, apart from a couple of pieces of twig that the wind caught, there was no evidence of them having been there! Three trees, one huge laurel type hedge cut back and a whopper of an evergreen hedge completely removed, roots and all, and all done in one day... An absolutely brilliant team. I won't need you again probably, but if I did I wouldn't hesitate to call, and I'll happily recommend you all day long. A trusted and reliable team and a truly epic service, thank you guys!Debra Whelband2024-05-23This company is to be commended! They have all the necessary equipment to make the project as seamless as possible, not to mention the safety gear provided to the staff. Jason was calm, polite and very approachable. Nothing was a problem. They removed a mature Sycamore in poor condition to a habitat stump for the birds and a Crown raise and sympathetic thin of mature Elm tree, which now looks amazing. I enquired about keeping the chippings from this tree and Jason advised to keep it if I had a place to spread it as hard wood timber makes great mulch. Be aware you need to leave it for 12 months if you want to used it around flowers/plants etc. They worked seamlessly and left the place immaculate. Considering the amount of shrubbery this was no mean feat. The costing was very reasonable and to my mind money well spent. Your business model is great!Lisa Rose2024-05-08Very efficient and professional service,excellent communication and friendly staff. Would highly recommend Epic Tree care.Alistair Law2024-05-01excellent advice delivered by a very nice and pleasant and knowledgeable young girlJulia Wright2024-04-02Epic Tree Care have pollarded our big sycamore. They have done an excellent job, very quick and so careful of the surroundings that nothing in the garden was damaged despite the tree being surrounded by borders, sheds and garages. Thank you, guys and thank you, Elaine for the excellent customer service, it has been a good experience from the beginning to the end.Lee Halsall2024-03-20Efficient , professional and affordable . They have the right equipment to carry out any felling and trimming leaving hardly a trace that they’ve been .A Webster2024-02-22Big thanks to Epic Tree Care for their exceptional service in removing a tree and stump from my garden. Their professionalism, efficiency, and tidy work were top-notch. Highly recommend their skilled team for anyone in need of tree services!Rhona Watson2023-11-05Carefully assessed the work to be done and promptly quoted. Agreed dates for the work to be done and came when they said. Carried out the work exactly as agreed. Team was organised and hard working. Tidied up well once the work was completed. I was particularly impressed with the stump removal and the care taken to make sure I was happy with the finished shape of the trimmed trees. Cost seemed high until I saw how many workers were in the team, what work was actually involved, how much wood had to be disposed of and the amount of equipment involved. I was completely satisfied with the work done and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.
We operate with £5 million Public Liability Insurance and £10 million Employers Liability Insurance.
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Inspection
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Professional Tree Inspection | Lantra Professional Tree Inspection |
| Lifting Equipment | City & Guilds NPTC Level 3 Thorough Examination of Arboricultural Equipment | |
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Base
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Woodchipper | Lantra Woodchippers |
| Stumpgrinder | Lantra Stumpgrinders | |
| Chainsaw | City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Chainsaw Maintenance and Cross-cutting | |
| Chainsaw | City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Ground Based Chainsaw Operator | |
| Chainsaw (200-380mm) | City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Felling Small Trees up to 380mm | |
| Chainsaw (over 380) | City & Guilds NPTC Level 3 Felling and Processing Trees over 380mm | |
| Windblow | City & Guilds NPTC Level 3 Severing Uprooted or Windblown Trees using a Chainsaw | |
| Assisted Fell | City & Guilds NPTC Level 3 Assisted Fell Operations | |
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Working at Height
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Rescue | City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue |
| Chainsaw | City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Using a Chainsaw from a Rope and Harness | |
| Chainsaw | City & Guilds NPTC Level 3 Aerial Tree Pruning | |
| Chainsaw | City & Guilds NPTC Level 3 Aerial Cutting of Trees with a Chainsaw Using Free-fall Techniques | |
| Rigging | City & Guilds NPTC Level 3 Aerial Tree Rigging | |
| Utilities | Utility Arboriculture | City & Guilds NPTC Level 3 Utility Arboriculture Basic Electrical Knowledge |
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Machinery
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Chokerman – Skyline | City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Forest Machine Operations – Chokerman |
| Base Skidder | City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Forest Machine Operations – Base Machine with Skidder | |
| Forwarder | City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Forest Machine Operations – Base Machine with Forwarder | |
| Mulcher | City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Forest Machine Operations – Flail/Mulcher | |
| Felling | City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Forest Machine Operations – Felling | |
| First Aid | First Aid | Emergency First Aid at Work + Forestry |