Tree consultant or tree surgeon: who the tree bodies say gives which advice
The Arboricultural Association draws a line between the arborist who does the work and the consultant who assesses and advises. This page reports what it says each is and which one it names for which question an owner asks, and what the International Society of Arboriculture says an arborist familiar with tree risk assessment may suggest.
This page is for tree owners. It reports what the named sources say and is not advice about your tree: for that, ask a qualified arborist or one of the offices under Who to call.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It does not say which kind of arborist any tree needs, and it does not say what a second assessor would conclude. The Arboricultural Association pages are written for the United Kingdom, and the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) pages for tree owners without naming a country.
The two roles in the Arboricultural Association's words
The Arboricultural Association (AA) page Managing your Trees separates a tree surgeon, also called an arboricultural contractor, from a tree advisor, also called an arboricultural consultant. It says a competent tree surgeon has certificates showing training and assessment and uses safety equipment to protect owner, property and workers, and that an ARB Approved Contractor is a company that passed the AA's vetting. It says a competent tree advisor has gained recognised qualifications and expertise in management advice about trees through education, training and experience, and that an AA Registered Consultant passed the AA's vetting for that role.
The AA page What is a Tree Consultant, last modified February 4, 2016, says the Registered Consultant scheme has run since the mid-1970s, that status is awarded to an individual and not a company after an assessment, and that holders are bound by codes of ethics and professional conduct enforced by a documented complaints procedure. For consulting credentials in other countries, the guide on consulting arborists lists them.
Which question goes to which role
| Question | What the AA page says |
|---|---|
| A tree that looks unwell or different | Guidance can come from a competent consultant or a competent contractor. |
| Whether a tree is legally protected | Advice can come from a consultant, a contractor or the local planning authority. |
| Building work near trees | The specialists named are a competent consultant, an AA Registered Consultant and the local planning authority. |
| Trees near buildings and people | The risks are assessed by a competent consultant, and how often depends on the location and the tree. |
| Cracks that may be subsidence or heave | The page says the first thing to do is contact the building insurer. It says the matter needs a range of professionals: a consultant, a structural engineer and a geotechnical expert. |
What AA and ISA say about inspection and options
The AA leaflet Trees and the Law says an owner has a common law duty of care, and that whether a claim after a failure succeeds usually depends on whether the owner was negligent, for example by not acting on a tree that was obviously unsafe through damage or disease. It says it is sensible for owners to have trees regularly inspected by a competent arboriculturist. For a tree on neighbouring land it describes writing to the owner and asking for the tree to be checked by an arboriculturist, and then, if no agreement is reached, asking a third party to mediate. The guide on neighbour tree law lists what each place's law says.
The ISA page Managing Hazards and Risk says an arborist who knows tree risk assessment may recommend any of these: moving a target such as a picnic table or car, pruning, cabling and bracing, routine care or removing the tree. It points owners to arborists who hold the ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification. The ISA qualification page describes TRAQ as a voluntary program built on a training course and written and performance-based assessments, with holders retraining and retesting every seven years.
What the pages do not cover
None of these pages sets out how an owner gets a second assessment, or what to do when two assessors disagree. The ISA Find an Arborist directory and the AA directories of Registered Consultants and ARB Approved Contractors are the lists they point to.
Who to call
- Arboricultural Association, find a professional: directories of AA Registered Consultants and ARB Approved Contractors
- ISA Find an Arborist: the ISA directory, including arborists with the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification
- Your building insurer: the first call the AA names when cracks may be subsidence
- Your local planning authority: whether a tree is protected, per the AA page
Sources
- Arboricultural Association, managing your trees, read October 9, 2026
- Arboricultural Association, what is a tree consultant, read October 9, 2026
- Arboricultural Association, trees and the law leaflet, read October 9, 2026
- International Society of Arboriculture, Trees Are Good, managing hazards and risk, read October 9, 2026
- International Society of Arboriculture, Tree Risk Assessment Qualification, read October 9, 2026