BS3998:2010. What's new?

Forty four years since its first appearance, BS3998 TREE WORK – RECOMMENDATIONS has been revised to take into account the huge advances in the understanding and practices of tree work.

This is the third edition of the Standard which was originally produced in 1966 and first revised in 1989. The standard gives general recommendations for tree work from basic pruning works to management of weak structures and decay. It provides guidance on management options for established trees (including soil care and tree felling) and overgrown hedges. The principles of this standard may also be applied to some shrubs, which can have similar characteristics to trees. BS3998 does not give guidance on undertaking tree surveys or inspections. It does however consider the impact of work on an individual tree in relation to neighbouring trees, but does not cover overall management of tree populations.

The Arboricultural Association has assisted the British Standards Institution in the revision of the Standard – a process that has taken several years to complete. AA member Simon Pryce is the AA’s representative on the BSi committee and says, “A massive amount of work has been done: all 722 comments from the public consultation on the draft revision (closing October 2008) have been reviewed by the Drafting Panel and appropriate action taken. There were a further 424 comments from the committee following that and a further 32 on the final draft. It took 22 meetings (including two of the full committee) to examine all the comments. In addition, members have spent time outside meetings working on the material, and this has been significant, otherwise the process would have taken still longer. David Lonsdale’s contribution has been recognised with a note in the foreword”.

The standard has been fully updated and expanded to incorporate changes in the law and working practices concerning established trees, especially with regard to

·          Safety of people and property

·          Decision-making criteria for tree work

·          Wildlife and habitats and

·          Veteran trees.

This 76 page revision also takes account of underlying issues such as tree longevity, value for local amenity, landscape, biodiversity and heritage.

The need for tree work will sometimes become self-evident to tree owners and site managers in the course of their regular duties. Tree work ideally forms part of a planned and systematic programme of management, which includes the successional planting of trees well-suited to their surroundings. Principles for assessing the potential advantages and disadvantages of various aspects of tree work are stated, where appropriate, in this standard. Where work is required, it is important for clients to be aware of both the advantages and disadvantages before deciding the course of action to follow.

BS3998:2010 Tree Work Recommendations is now available to download from the BSi website, with a 50% off special introductory price of £86.00 + VAT until the end of January 2011, after which it will be sold at its full price of £172.00 + VAT.