When are Tree Climbing Bat Roost Surveys Required?
Where the Bat Roost Potential Survey finds no trees with potential for roosting bats, no further surveys will be necessary. However, where the Bat Roost Potential Survey identifies trees with low, moderate or high potential/suitability for roosting bats further Tree Climbing Bat Roost Surveys may be required to confirm the presence or likely absence.
The benefit of this type of bat survey for trees is that the number of Bat Roost Emergence/Re-entry Surveys can potentially be reduced as many PRFs that appeared to have moderate or high suitability from the ground may, in fact, hold low or no suitability upon closer inspection. BCT also state that emergence/re-entry surveys are unlikely to give confidence in a negative result and tree-climbing bat surveys to inspect PRFs will be required prior to felling or pruning works on trees.
What is a Tree Climbing Bat Roost Survey?
Tree Climbing Bat Roost Surveys, sometimes called Tree Potential Roost Feature (PRF) Inspection Surveys, involve climbing trees with potential for roosting bats via rope access techniques and inspection of PRFs with an endoscope under site-specific licence from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and in accordance with the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) Survey Guidelines. For safety reasons, a minimum of 2 NPTC (CS38) certified tree climbers are required for this type of survey.
The minimum survey effort required to establish an acceptable level of confidence in results relates to the overall bat roosting potential identified by the Bat Roost Potential Survey and is specified in the BCT Guidelines:
Cost: From £700*
Trees with Low Bat Roosting Potential:
No survey visits are required although BCT guidelines stipulate that trees should be checked by a Tree Climbing Bat Roost Survey prior to felling or pruning works.
Cost: From £700*
Moderate Bat Roosting Potential:
2 Survey Visits are required.
Cost: From £1,400*
High Bat Roosting Potential:
3 Survey Visits are required.
Cost: From £2,100*
*NOTE: The costs quoted above are based upon 2 tree climbing bat ecologists climbing and inspecting 1 tree. There are significant economies of scale when more trees are being assessed as potentially 3 or 4 trees could easily be inspected per day resulting in significant savings. Costs will vary according to the distance travelled to the site, the number of trees being inspected and the ease of access. All prices quoted are exclusive of and subject to VAT.
How long does a Tree Climbing Bat Roost Survey take?
The actual tree climbing bat roost surveys can be completed within a day, depending on the survey requirements (e.g. the number of trees to be climbed). However, when considering the completion time required it is important to bear in mind that a site-specific survey licence will be required from NIEA. These can take up to 2 weeks to be issued.
Upon appointment, we will provide you with a booking for a particular week but please remember that, in order to minimise H&S risks, the specific date of your surveys will depend upon the weather! Final reports are usually available approximately 2 weeks following the last survey. However, this may vary depending on how big the site is, how complex the layout is and how busy we are.