Not sure whether a tree is safe, or need something in writing? Antony holds the Lantra Professional Tree Inspection certificate. He'll inspect your trees, tell you plainly what he finds, and give you a written report.
Most trees are perfectly safe, and a tree that looks worrying often needs no more than a little pruning. But trees do fail, and the warning signs are easy to miss or to misread: fungus at the base, dead wood in the crown, a crack, a new lean, soil lifting around the roots. A tree inspection gives you a straight answer from someone who works with trees every day: what's wrong, how serious it is, and what, if anything, needs doing.
Inspections are carried out by Antony Geer, who has worked in arboriculture since 2006. He holds the Lantra Awards Certificate of Competence in Professional Tree Inspection, an assessed qualification in identifying tree hazards and recording inspections properly, and took the refresher course in 2025. He looks at each tree from the ground, from the roots and base up through the trunk and main unions to the crown, and at what the tree could hit if part of it failed. Where something can't be judged from the ground, we can climb the tree for a closer look.
You get the findings in writing: what we looked at, what we found, how urgent it is, and what we recommend, with photographs. Often the answer is that nothing needs doing and the tree should be looked at again in a couple of years. Sometimes it's deadwood removal or a crown reduction, and occasionally a tree does need to come down. If work is needed we can quote for it, but the report is yours and you're free to use anyone.
Our inspections are for homeowners, landlords and managing agents, schools, parish councils and businesses across Sussex. If you own or manage land, the law expects you to take reasonable care that your trees don't put other people at risk. Having them inspected at sensible intervals by someone competent, acting on what's found, and keeping the report is the usual way to show you've done that. We've looked after the trees at a school in Hassocks for years on this basis, inspecting them and dealing with problems as they appear.
A report can also support an application to the council. If a protected tree is diseased or failing, the council will want evidence from a qualified person before it agrees to the work, and we can provide the report and make the application for you. If the council has asked for a tree survey as part of a planning application, tell us what they've asked for and we'll say whether we can help.
Call, WhatsApp or email with roughly how many trees there are, where they are, and what's worrying you or what the report is for (your own peace of mind, your insurer, the council). A couple of photos help.
An inspection with a written report is a paid service, priced on the number of trees and how much detail you need. We tell you the price before we book the visit.
A careful look at each tree from the ground: roots and base, trunk, main unions and crown, and what's underneath and around it. If something needs a closer look, we can climb the tree to inspect it.
Plain English, with photographs: what we found, how urgent it is, and what we recommend for each tree.
If the report recommends work, we can quote for it and handle any TPO or conservation area application. If you'd rather use someone else, the report is yours to take to them.
Trees change. We'll tell you when each tree is worth looking at again, and we're happy to come back when it is.
Hassocks
We’ve looked after the trees at this school for five years, and this oak had been getting steadily worse. After climbing it in February to take out deadwood and inspecting it from the canopy, we decided it was time for it to come down, especially standing so close to the school’s spire.
Hassocks
Working at a school near Hassocks where we look after the trees. An English oak (Quercus robur) with Ganoderma was taken down to a monolith, all rigged down safely over a road and bridle path, with a brick wall just 1.5 metres from the base.
Haywards Heath
This oak was in decline from canker, with brown rot where lower limbs had been flush-cut in the past. We wrote a professional tree report for our client, then carried out the removal. The tree was on the ground by 1pm on day one; the rest of the two and a half days went on sawing and carting the timber away, as no vehicle could get close enough to collect it.
“Great work from start to finish. Ant and the team carried out a balanced reduction of our beech tree, a hard-reshape of a yew and removed a bay tree. Professional, tidy and experts at what they do.”
“Antony has looked after my garden trees and shrubs for some years now and his work is of high quality. The latest job involved pruning the overhanging trees from my neighbour’s garden - a task he performed very expertly. Antony is always prompt and polite and his charges are competitive. Well done.”
“Brilliant work by Antony and Paddy today. Very thorough, tidy and, in summary, an extremely professional job. I would fully recommend AG Garden and Tree to anyone.”
Plus 9.9/10 from over 200 Checkatrade reviews since 2017
Signs worth acting on include fungus (brackets or toadstools) on the trunk or around the base, large dead branches, cracks or splits, a lean that's new or getting worse, and soil lifting or cracking around the roots. None of these automatically means the tree has to come down, but each is a good reason to have it looked at.
If you already know what work you want, we'll look at the tree and quote for the job, free. An inspection is for when you need to know what condition a tree is in: Antony examines it properly and you get his findings and recommendations in a written report that you can keep, show a neighbour, or send to an insurer or the council. That's a paid service, and we tell you the price before we book it.
It depends on how many trees there are, how easy they are to get to, and how detailed the report needs to be. One garden tree costs far less than a survey of a school site. Tell us what you have and we'll give you a price before we visit.
Antony Geer. He holds the Lantra Awards Certificate of Competence in Professional Tree Inspection (2021, refreshed in 2025), a Level 3 National Diploma in Forestry and Arboriculture, and City & Guilds NPTC certificates for tree work. He has worked with trees since 2006.
There's no single legal interval. It depends on the tree's age and condition and on what's around it: a mature tree beside a road, a playground or a car park needs looking at more often than one in the corner of a field. Organisations with trees near busy places commonly have them inspected every one to three years, and again after severe storms. We'll recommend when each of your trees should be looked at again.
The law doesn't spell out an inspection routine, but it does expect you to take reasonable care that your trees don't injure people or damage property. In practice that means knowing what trees you have, having them checked by someone competent at sensible intervals, acting on what's found, and keeping a record. A dated written report is that record.
Yes. Inspecting a protected tree needs no permission. If the inspection finds that work is needed, the report gives the council the evidence it asks for, and we can make the application for you. Where a tree is dead or poses an immediate risk of serious harm, the rules are different, and we'll tell you where you stand.
Our inspections cover Sussex and nearby parts of Surrey. For a larger survey we can sometimes travel further, so do ask. If you're elsewhere in the UK, the Arboricultural Association's online directory lists registered consultants and approved contractors near you.
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Send us a few photos on WhatsApp for a quick estimate, or fill in the form and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.
Tell us roughly how many trees there are and what the report is for.
Got a tree that needs to come down? We remove trees of any size, even in tight spots next to buildings, fences, or power lines. Everything cleared away and your garden left clean.
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Tree getting too big? We’ll reduce its height and spread without ruining its shape. You get more light, less worry about branches, and a tree that still looks natural.
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Storm damage? Fallen branch blocking your drive? Call us now and we’ll be there as fast as possible, day or night. We handle the tree, the cleanup, and can help with your insurance too.
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