Screech Owl Sanctuary & Animal Park, near St Columb in Cornwall, approached The Habitat Restoration Co. to carry out a professional tree safety inspection across the site.
As a working visitor attraction, the sanctuary has trees growing around areas regularly used by staff, visitors and animals, including paths, enclosures and other areas of public access. The inspection was therefore focused on identifying trees where condition, defects or decline warranted further management.
Client Brief
The sanctuary required a practical assessment of its trees without commissioning an unnecessarily extensive inventory of every healthy tree on the site.
We agreed a time-limited inspection, working systematically through as much of the site as possible during the allotted survey period. The survey was undertaken on an exception-reporting basis: rather than recording large numbers of trees requiring no work, we concentrated the written findings on trees where an issue, recommendation or future monitoring requirement had actually been identified.
This provided the sanctuary with a much more useful document for managing tree safety and planning subsequent works.
THRC Solution
A ground-level visual inspection was carried out across the accessible survey area, considering tree condition alongside the level and nature of use around each tree.
Ash and alder were particularly prevalent across parts of the site, and ash dieback was one of the more important issues encountered during the inspection. Individual ash trees were assessed according to their condition and level of crown decline rather than treating the presence of ash dieback alone as justification for removal.
Where specific defects were identified, proportionate recommendations were made. These included targeted arboricultural work, such as the removal of an identified north-western branch, alongside monitoring and further management where appropriate.
Trees requiring attention were plotted against the site mapping and recorded individually within the inspection schedule, giving the sanctuary a straightforward reference between the tree on the ground, its condition and the recommended action.
End Result
Following the inspection, Screech Owl Sanctuary received a clear tree survey report identifying the trees that warranted action or future attention.
The exception-reporting approach kept the document focused. Rather than producing a large inventory filled with healthy trees requiring no intervention, the sanctuary was left with a practical schedule showing where its resources should actually be directed.
The survey also established a useful baseline for future inspections, particularly for the site’s ash population as ash dieback continues to develop.
For a visitor attraction where trees form an important part of the setting but sit alongside paths, animal areas and regularly occupied spaces, the aim was not to remove risk altogether or recommend unnecessary work. It was to identify genuine issues, set sensible priorities and give the site team a manageable basis for looking after its trees going forward.
