Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) are made, managed, and evaluated by the local council. These orders protect individual or groups of trees that have a particular value or benefit to the community due to species, age, or habitat. They essentially protect the tree from wilful damage, felling, topping, uprooting, or lopping.

A Tree Preservation order means that before work can be carried out to a tree, it will need to be approved by the local council. If work is carried out on a tree without permission then the council could prosecute with a heavy fine between £2,500-£20,000.  A Tree Surgeon should not be willing to work on a tree without permission from the council.

So before carrying out work on your trees it can be a good idea to check whether the trees in your garden carry a Tree Preservation Order (TPO). 

The good news is that it is really easy to do this!

If you are based in Sheffield then you can visit the Sheffield council website and take a look at the TPO map which indicates all of the orders in Sheffield:

Visit the Sheffield council TPO website here

If you are still unsure then you can contact the council on the numbers given in the above link.

If you are not based in Sheffield then the government gives a good link and search facility to find the appropriate council information for you: https://www.gov.uk/apply-work-on-protected-tree

 

Who should apply for permission to work on the tree?

If your tree is protected then you can either apply for permission to carry out work or ask a local tree surgeon to apply on your behalf. This can be helpful as they can state the correct terminology when stating which work needs carrying out and why. There can often be a more favourable response if the tree surgeon, applies for you. Here at Silver Oak we regularly apply on behalf of our customers and it is a free service.

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