How to Choose a Tree Surgeon or Arborist in the New Forest

If you need work carried out on a tree, choosing the right person matters.

Tree work can involve considerable risk, valuable property and trees that may have taken generations to mature. Price is naturally important, but it shouldn't be the only consideration when choosing an arborist or tree surgeon in the New Forest.

Here are some of the things we recommend checking before allowing anyone to work on your trees.

1. Check Their Qualifications & Insurance

Professional tree work requires specialist training, particularly where climbing, chainsaws, aerial work or tree felling is involved.

Ask whether the people carrying out the work hold appropriate arboricultural and chainsaw qualifications and whether the business has suitable insurance.

Arbor Bear is fully insured and NPTC qualified, with nearly two decades of professional arboricultural experience.

2. Look for Arboricultural Experience, Not Just Equipment

Owning a chainsaw and wood chipper doesn't make someone an experienced arborist.

A good arborist should be able to look at the tree as a living structure and explain what work they recommend and why.

Sometimes that means pruning. Sometimes reduction, monitoring or removal may be appropriate. And sometimes the best professional advice is to leave a tree alone.

Luke Keavy, founder of Arbor Bear Tree Specialists, has worked in professional arboriculture since training at Kingston Maurward College in 2005, with experience across Dorset, Hampshire, London and Western Australia.

3. Ask How They Intend to Prune the Tree

Terms such as "cut it back" can mean very different things.

Professional pruning should have a clear objective, whether that's removing deadwood, reducing a canopy, improving clearance or managing a particular structural issue.

Arbor Bear undertakes tree work with reference to BS3998 recommendations for tree work, considering the species, condition and structure of the individual tree.

4. Check Whether Your Tree Is Protected

This is particularly important in the New Forest.

Trees may be protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) or because they are situated within a Conservation Area. In these circumstances, permission or prior notification may be required before certain work takes place.

A professional arborist should recognise when this needs checking rather than simply beginning work.

Arbor Bear can help establish whether relevant protection applies and can manage TPO applications and Conservation Area notifications in connection with work we undertake.

5. Consider Wildlife

Trees aren't isolated objects. They can provide nesting, roosting and feeding habitat for wildlife.

A responsible arborist should remain alert to wildlife considerations and adapt or postpone work where legally protected wildlife could be affected.

6. Expect Your Property to Be Respected

Professionalism doesn't finish when the last branch reaches the ground.

Tree work creates considerable quantities of branches, timber, sawdust and woodchip. You should know what will happen to the material and what condition the site will be left in.

At Arbor Bear, careful working and a proper tidy-up are simply part of the job.

7. Choose Someone You Can Actually Talk To

Good arboriculture involves judgement.

You should feel comfortable asking questions and expect a clear explanation of what is being recommended.

As an independent, family-run business, Arbor Bear offers a personal service from initial assessment through to completion, with Luke remaining directly involved in technical and complex work.

Looking for an Arborist in the New Forest?

Arbor Bear Tree Specialists provides professional tree pruning, felling, stump grinding, planting, tree inspections, protected tree work and woodland management throughout Lymington, the New Forest and surrounding areas of Hampshire.

If you're unsure what your tree needs, you don't need to diagnose it before contacting us.

Get in touch to arrange a visit and professional advice.