BS8596 ‘surveying for bats in trees and woodland’. DPC now live

[patrick stileman]

Dear all

 

The draft for public consultation (DPC) of BS8596 'Surveying for bats in trees and woodland' is now live.

 

To review the standard, go to the drafts page of the BSI website <http://drafts.bsigroup.com/> and set up an account with a password. Once in, type a key word to get to the right standard (8596 works). Comments for each section must be made on the website in the relevant sections. The public consultation period runs until 31st May.

 

I have spoken to people about the standard who are fearful that it will require a consultant ecologist to be called out to every tree which has a split or cavity. This is not the case and the document describes how non-specialists (i.e. arbs) can undertake the work in the majority of cases with a basic level of bat awareness training, and this includes the limited use of endoscopes.

 

Large sections of the standard relate to bat specialists / ecologists in describing how specialist bat surveys should be undertaken, and these sections are beyond the scope of what most non-specialists will need to know. I have previously said that BSI is also producing a free to download Micro Guide which shall summarise the non-specialist content of the main BS

document. The Micro Guide does not form part of the DPC process.

 

I encourage you to review the document and submit comments.

 

Regards

 

Patrick

[daltontrees]

I know it's just a draft, but first reaction was that it is unsatisfactory from an arb perspective in the onerous obligations it would create for the tree surveyor. I have made some preliminary comments. Without some modification, every BS5837 surveyor would have to have some degree of bat expertise.

 

Hopefully it'll get there. It looks to have some really thorough bat information in it, which I look forward to perusing.

[daltontrees]

Anybody bothering with this? It's almost impossible to get an overview on the drafting website. I see a pdf has been made available by BSI for £20. Personally I stop short of paying for the dubious privelege of trying to improve the drafting.

[10 Bears]

I've only just seen this thread but I will make some time to post some comments. I've recently got a lot of surveying work from a Parish Council who unfortunately are also listening to a self-appointed bat 'expert', who TBH is simply complicating matters needlessly. A BS in this area - lead by some common sense, would be particularly useful for the Arb industry I feel. Perhaps some more folk from here should put their views in...

[Andrew Gale]

On my 'to do list'.

 

As a committee member of the Arb Ass SE Branch, I've been trying to get a workshop up and running on this very subject for some time now so I'll be very interested in the content.

[daltontrees]

The AA was to make a draft available on its website, but I can't see it. As far as I can tell the AA hasn't even publicised the consultation.

 

My initial reaction is that it is a dense and unapproachable Standard that has every chance of being unusable by the average arb, or even the extraordinary one. i.e it is a hard read but actually if you persevere it becomes clear (?) that it doesn't do (so far) what it set out to do which is to improve bat protection by making non-specialist surveys easier and therefore more likely to happen.

[daltontrees]

2 more days to go on this consultation. I know no-ones posting about it because you're all too busy honing poignant comments for last-minute submission.

 

Personally I can't wait to spend £200 to find out if my comments have been dingied.

[daltontrees]

I ahve a full version of the draft if anyone really really wants it for consultation purposes. Far be it from me to breach cpyright on a BS.

[Undercut]

Would you mind sending me a copy of it ?

[daltontrees]

If you send me your email address by private message, I will email it to you.