Explain the proposal and its stage
State whether the project is at concept, design, approval or construction stage. Describe the work being considered, including relevant access routes, paving, services and changes to the ground. Identify the person coordinating the project and the decision the advice should support. Do not treat a proposed protection measure as agreed before the site and works have been reviewed.
Identify the current plan set
Provide the current drawings with their titles, revision numbers and dates. Where several files describe different parts of the work, include a short list explaining which file shows which element. Mark superseded plans clearly. Ask whether the consultant needs more detail before commissioning an assessment; a drawing that omits relevant work may leave the scope incomplete.
Connect each tree to the project
- Site boundary and available location plan.
- Tree IDs, photographs and any existing tree schedule.
- Current proposal drawings and known revisions.
- Previous tree reports, with their dates and intended purpose.
- Relevant project or approving-authority instructions.
- Access constraints and the contact who can arrange a visit.
- Required deliverables and decision dates.
A brief your project team can adapt
Illustrative brief: “We are considering a new driveway beside three existing trees. Attached are the site plan revision C, the proposed driveway drawing and photos labelled T1–T3. The design team needs advice on tree constraints and suitable next steps before finalising the layout. Please confirm whether a site survey and impact assessment are required, what further information is needed and the proposed deliverables.”
Agree the output and responsibilities
Discuss whether you need a constraints review, tree survey, impact assessment advice, protection documentation or monitoring scope. Confirm who will coordinate design changes and how later drawing revisions will be reviewed. Tree protection advice should be connected to the actual proposal and agreed scope rather than reused as a generic instruction for another project.
Keep changes traceable
If the design or construction method changes after advice is issued, send the updated information and ask whether the advice needs review. Keep the report and the plan revision it references together when circulating files. This helps the project team distinguish current instructions from earlier options.
Explore Sorbus development and arboricultural impact assessment advice and tree surveys. For field data preparation, see writing a tree survey brief.
Prepared by Sorbus Arbor Consulting.