Black & White Facilities / Service brief
Arboriculture and Tree Services
Tree work on a managed site needs an assessment of condition, access and the result required. Report damaged branches, obstructions or changes noticed around planned works, including when they began and whether they recur, so immediate action can be separated from investigation and subsequent work.
What the work can include
- Review of the trees and their condition.
- Pruning or removal to an agreed specification.
- Clearing arisings and completing specified follow-up tasks.
Identify each tree and work area in the written instruction, together with retained features and handover records. Where several properties are involved, give every item its site reference so the estate team can connect costs and subsequent actions to the correct location.
Our full service catalogue, including every individual service, is available across every listed sector and location. For one site or several, we agree the scope, access and programme around the buildings concerned.
Important decisions
Agree the purpose and check relevant permissions before specifying tree work. Retaining, pruning and removing a tree are distinct choices. Record priorities around entrances, grounds and delivery access, including seasonal work and exceptions that apply only to particular premises.
Before we visit
Share a plan locating the trees, photographs, ownership details and any known protected status. Include the operational impact, existing site records and limits on approval. Name the site contact and suitable working periods that accommodate essential activity.
How the work proceeds
The initial brief establishes the intended result and evidence available. Assessment reviews tree condition and the limits of the instruction. Before delivery, agree the method, sequence, access and protection arrangements around the affected parts of the site.
The completion record should identify the tree work by location and instruction reference. Record the result separately from any action still needed, giving the estate team a clear basis for later maintenance planning and budget decisions.
What affects cost and timing
Tree dimensions, surrounding structures and access influence resources, together with traffic arrangements and handling of cut material. They also affect sequencing and duration. A photograph or approximate area may leave important parts of the instruction unresolved.
Before grouping sites into a tree programme, compare equivalent activities and the access assumed for each. Establish temporary operational arrangements and the point at which additional work needs a further decision.
Applications across sectors
At education sites, account for arrivals and occupied outdoor spaces when planning tree access. Industrial deliveries and vehicle routes require coordination, while office and hospitality entrances and shared areas need to remain usable. Review the full range through sectors.
Local coverage
Black & White Facilities serves North East England across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Tees Valley. Send access details and the postcode for sites in Newcastle, Gateshead, Durham, Middlesbrough or elsewhere in the covered area. The location directory provides the wider listing.
Frequently asked questions
Can a tree be removed because it overhangs a property?
An overhanging branch does not itself authorise tree removal. First check ownership, protection, access rights and precisely how much work is proposed.
What information helps define arboriculture and tree services?
Start with photographs and a plan identifying the trees, plus ownership and any known protection information. State the result sought and fixed access dates. Earlier reports help establish which assessments and decisions have already taken place.
What most affects the price and programme?
Compare proposals against tree size, access, nearby structures, traffic provisions and disposal of arisings. Each should identify included preparation, site access and completion activities so the estate team is comparing equivalent instructions.
How should the finished work be recorded?
Keep site and job identifiers with a record of the areas worked on or items changed. List follow-up and limitations separately, preserving a useful distinction between finished work and matters still unresolved.
Guides and useful reading
For planning decisions, consult grounds and external maintenance planning guidance; use Repair versus replacement when condition, disruption and cost need to be compared for a building element or asset.
The external working environment is covered further in HSE workplace transport guidance.
Related services and your enquiry
Find the full family under Grounds and External Maintenance. Tree work may also sit alongside Car Parks, Roads and Pathways, External Cleaning or External Lighting Maintenance. Use all services, maintenance, projects, sectors and locations to review the wider estate requirement.
Contact Black & White Facilities with the tree locations, site identifier, priority and person authorised to instruct work. Share records, photographs, plans, ownership details and known protection status so the next step reflects the property concerned.
Discuss the scope
Tell us what needs attention.
Share the site, the issue and any access requirements so we can discuss the next step.