A Tree Preservation Order or a TPO as it is commonly known is an order which is made
by a local council in order to protect specific trees or areas of woodland which they believe may be at a specific risk from damage or destruction and which they believe are special enough that they should be preserved and protected for future generations.
A tree preservation Order is something which can be granted at any time to protect a tree from being felled, topped, uprooted or otherwise subjected to anything which may cause it damage without the consent of the local planning authority. When development work is taking place or in the works, this is often the time when people come out to protest against the loss of trees and these people can seek to have a Tree Preservation Order placed on the trees in question. This can be very convenient for anyone who is seeking planning permission as trees must now be taken into consideration.
Tree Survey
Anyone who is seeking planning permission in an area which is filled with trees may be required to or should consider having a tree survey carried out. This will give them a lot of useful information about the trees on and around their land and will allow them to make their case for either topping, uprooting, removing or even keeping the trees intact.
A lot of local authorities are very concerned with tree retention and some of them will want to see a tree survey before approving your application. Others are not so concerned but will still want to know the impact of trees and a tree survey can help. A tree survey can also go a long way in fighting a Tree Preservation order if it finds that a tree is unhealthy or is not as important as those fighting for a TPO may think it is. Once a Tree Protection Order has been made, it can be challenged after 6 months so a tree survey could help you to build a case for having a problem tree removed should you think that it is a good idea to do so.