Why protect bats?
The British Standards Institute announced that a new standard would soon be introduced to protect bats and their roosts during construction work or tree surgery (now known as BS8596:2015). Arbor Vitae Arboriculture were ahead of the game somewhat, carrying out highly detailed and professional inspections of woodland for bats.
The Beauly-Denny Power Line
Mike Charkow, Senior Arborist at Arbor Vitae Arboriculture, gained his qualification to inspect for bats in May 2012 and was delighted to be asked to manage and carry out the inspection of several trees on the route of the new high-voltage power-line, from Beauly (near Inverness) to Denny (near Falkirk) in Scotland. He was not, however, quite so delighted by the harsh weather conditions …
Carried out on behalf of SP Energy Networks, the inspection was a legal requirement to ensure no bat roosts would be disturbed in the upgrade of the power-line.
Mike was required to climb several exposed Birch trees with bat roosting potential, using an endoscope to inspect the tree cavities and branches for signs of bats, all the while faced with horizontal snow and and typically Scottish winter temperatures.
Get in touch for advice, or find out more about our inspections for bats in trees in the Services section.