Howard Booth on the BS 5837 Revision-LS

Howard Booth on the BS 5837 Revision

Howard Booth, Principal Arboricultural Consultant at Treework Environmental Practice, is currently leading the revision of BS 5837 (Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction). Following a major public consultation in 2024 that received over 2,000 comments, Howard and the drafting panel are now finalising the document, with a projected publication date of November 2026.

Key highlights from his update include:

• Separation of Standards: To streamline guidance, tree planting has been moved out of BS 5837; BS 8545 now serves as the primary reference for nursery to establishment tree care.
• Managed Transition: Howard acknowledges the logistical impact on the industry, such as software updates and report changes and is working with industry bodies to develop a fair framework for transitioning from the 2012 version.
• Direct Impact: Under Howard’s guidance, the revised standard aims to provide clearer, more refined recommendations for trees in relation to construction and design.