Aerial tree inspections are a quick way to confirm or discount the suitability of a tree for use by roosting bats, and can find evidence of use by bats and protected species of birds.

Aerial Tree Inspections

Aerial tree inspections are carried out in order to check if trees are being used by protected species such as bats or Barn owls.

An aerial tree inspection for bats can be carried out as part of a wider bat survey or barn owl survey or in order to either confirm or rule out the use of a tree by protected species.

Aerial tree inspections are carried out by climbing the tree using specialist tree climbing equipment. Tree climbing is a highly specialised skill and the tree is not damaged by the inspection.

The advantage of aerial tree inspections over the more conventional method of inspecting trees (from the ground using binoculars), is that many features may appear suitable for use by roosting bats from the ground, on closer inspection they are often shallow cracks and fissures which are not suitable for use by bats.

If features are inspected and found to be suitable for use by bats then evidence of use may be found such as bat droppings. This can give an early indication to the developer of occupancy and allow the necessary changes to be made to project scheduling.

Aerial tree inspections can save time and cost of waiting for activity surveys, or allow the developer to plan ahead for any protected species licensing work which is necessary.

Related Species

• Barn Owl
• Bats
• Hedgerows