Indirect recent change to BS5837

[daltontrees]

Hi, thanks for bringing this up. In my 5837 surveys i would mention any wildlife habitat potential but this would not be to the same detail level as an ecologist. Generally i work alongside ecologists who also survey the trees for bat potential and carry out further survey work if requiried. i will try picking up a copy of the new bs, is it free or do u have a link to it? Thanks

 

Sorry I only have the draft and snippets of the final version. It costs £200 ish.

[daltontrees]

>> I have searched the 5837:2012 pdf - you're right no mention of bats.

 

There is nothing to suggest that the presence of bats or potential for bats makes a tree have 'conservation' value.

 

>> Your point does raise a number of issues:

 

Who is undertaking BS5837 surveys - arborists. What is their baseline competence wrt ecology, conservation and habitat assessments? Probably very low (based on training) but actually very mixed depending on experience and interest. BS8596 lists (s 5.2) a whole range of features for potential roost features. it would be possible for arborists to record these but the bureaucracy of BS8596 requires a record to be kept even if they have not been found.

 

But look where 5837 is mentioned in BS8596 - "Section 4 Other relevant considerations" - hardly mainstream to the overall BS. That section clearly gold-plates the legislation and interprets planning law and administration in a way that possibly local authorities don't acknowledge. It reads "The presence of bats or bat roosts in trees, and the importance of trees for foraging and commuting bats, should be assessed prior to a planning application being made." Really? Until this BS there was a reasonable assumption that if there were no features providing a roost there were no bats...and thus no reason to involve a bat ecologist, but this varies from Council to Council. Some have ecologists and are very active (e.g. see councils in Dorset). Others seem to much more relaxed (e.g. Luton?). Bat ecologists recognise features other than PRFs e.g. linear features as being important in the landscape. Very interesting but without evidence of bats how will an arborist know they are important? Secondly even if important are the linear features protected? Challenging for the novice arborist?

 

The problem with BS 8596 is that it assumes bats are present in trees and woodlands until you show they are not and if there is the slightest chance of a PRF that is not low grade (section 5.2) a second survey is required. It's a licence to print money.

 

Industry has already complained to the BS prior to promulgation but it fell on deaf ears. It will be interesting to hear if any LA insists on bat surveys for trees as I can imagine that if the trees are not going to be affected what is the need for a BS 8596 survey?......we can't tell if the trees are going to be affected at the time of an early BS5837 survey until the architect has made their plans ready. If the arborist gets approached late on when the architect plans are available it is easier to run things together but I am sure the developer won't be too happy to be told that a range of other surveys need to be undertaken ....just in case...as the application is just about to be submitted.

 

COunldn't have said it better myself. See also my reply to Gary Prentice. Potential for needless surveys, potential for needless second surveys, impossibility of knowing whether development might disturb, no basis for knowing how to categorise batty trees and if they will be inhabited if retained amongst development.

 

I will be recording PRFs and stating that I can find no basis for categorisation of consequent conservation value.

 

A poorly thought-out link to 5837 by BSI. They do themselves no favours sometimes.

[daltontrees]

... I can find no basis for categorisation of consequent conservation value.

 

Well nearly none Determining Value Publications CIEEM - Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management but none that it is possible for an arb to apply, since it is largely a factor of how indispensable the trees are in the context of the ecological value of the bats.