Tree Survey
TREE LOCATION DATA FOR DESIGN AND PERMITTING.A Tree Survey maps the location and required size information for existing trees to support site design, municipal review, tree-preservation requirements, and development permitting. For commercial tree survey projects, Eagle scopes the field information to the applicable ordinance and agreed project requirements.
What Eagle Records in the Field.
For each tree inside the survey limits, the crew records the fields below.
Surveyed position of each tree included within the defined limits.
Tree-size measurement, taken the way the city’s ordinance specifies.
Unique field identifier that ties the physical tree to the corresponding tree point and information shown on the survey.
Canopy data when requested for municipal review or design coordination.
Additional attributes identified by the applicable ordinance or agreed scope.
When tagging is part of the assignment, Eagle field crews place a small numbered metal tag and visible flagging on each surveyed tree. The same number is carried into the survey data so the arborist, city reviewer, landscape architect, land-clearing contractor, developer, or other project team member can match the tree they see in the field to its surveyed location and recorded information. That field-to-plan connection helps reduce ambiguity during preservation review, design coordination, tree removal, and construction.
The Finished Tree Survey.
The crew brings back located points and tree data. Our drafting team turns those points into the drawing and tree tables the city reviews.
The Reviewing Jurisdiction Defines What Is Needed.
Tree surveys exist because cities require them. In much of Texas, site-plan approval, subdivision review, and building permits do not move until the tree data is on file, and every city writes its own rules for what that file must include.
Each city can define its own submittal criteria. The applicable ordinance determines which tree attributes must be included.
Ordinances set a minimum trunk size for the trees that must be shown, and they differ on both the size and the height above grade where it is measured. That threshold decides how many trees end up in the survey.
Some jurisdictions define heritage, specimen, or landmark trees above a larger size, or by species, and hold them to stricter preservation and replacement rules than an ordinary protected tree.
A number of ordinances require protected trees on adjoining property to be shown when they fall within a set distance of the boundary or of proposed construction, so the survey limits often reach past the property line.
Where a protected root area has to be drawn, the ordinance usually defines it as a radius derived from trunk size with a stated minimum. That radius drives the tree protection fencing shown on the plan.
Caliper, species, condition, canopy, and preserve-or-remove status are not all required everywhere. The attribute list is settled against the city’s requirements before the crew mobilizes.
Where removals trigger replacement planting or a fee in lieu, the removed trees generally have to be tabulated so the calculation can be reviewed. The survey data feeds that table.
Some ordinances name a registered landscape architect or a certified arborist for portions of the submittal, separate from the surveyed tree locations and measurements Eagle provides.
Most ordinances also carve something out, such as certain species, single-family lots, or utility and right-of-way work. The exemptions differ between cities as much as the requirements do.
These are the points where cities differ most. Eagle confirms the current criteria before field collection begins and scopes the survey to them. Eagle does not interpret the ordinance on the project team’s behalf.
Survey Data and Arborist Expertise Are Different Roles.
Eagle Surveying is not a certified arborist. We locate trees and document the measurements and identifiers included in our surveying scope. When trees are physically tagged, the tag number gives the arborist and other reviewers a direct way to match field observations to the mapped tree on the survey. When species identification, health assessment, preservation recommendations, or mitigation calculations require arborist expertise, we coordinate with a certified arborist and incorporate the arborist-provided information as appropriate. Eagle can also provide arborist referrals on request if the project team does not already have one engaged.
Surveyed locations and scoped measurements.
Species identification, health assessment, preservation recommendations, and mitigation calculations. Referrals available on request.
Where Tree Survey Data Fits in Development.
Tree Survey FAQs
A Tree Survey locates and documents trees within a defined project area, typically recording trunk diameter or caliper, tag numbers, canopy information, location, and other data required by the reviewing jurisdiction and project scope. When tagging is part of the assignment, Eagle places a numbered metal tag and visible flagging on the tree so arborists, city reviewers, contractors, and other project team members can match the physical tree to the corresponding tree shown on the survey. Many Texas municipalities require tree data during site-plan, subdivision, development, or building-permit review. Eagle Surveying is not a certified arborist. When species identification, health assessment, preservation recommendations, or mitigation calculations require arborist expertise, we coordinate with a certified arborist and incorporate arborist-provided information as appropriate.
A commercial tree survey documents the trees within the defined limits and records the attributes required by the reviewing jurisdiction and the agreed scope. That commonly includes the surveyed location of each tree, trunk diameter or caliper, tag numbers when tagging is part of the assignment, and canopy information when it is requested for municipal review or design coordination. A physical tag gives each tree a field identifier that can be matched directly to the survey, which is useful for arborist review, municipal review, preservation decisions, land clearing, and construction coordination. Because ordinances differ, the attribute list is confirmed before fieldwork rather than assumed.
It depends on the reviewing jurisdiction. Many Texas cities request tree data during development and permit review, and a tree survey for permitting is often submitted with the site plan so proposed improvements can be evaluated against local preservation and mitigation standards. Submittal criteria are not the same everywhere, so the applicable ordinance and your project team's requirements determine whether a tree survey for development is needed and how much detail it must include.
No. Eagle Surveying is a licensed surveying firm, not a certified arborist. Our scope covers locating the trees and recording the measurements and identifiers the jurisdiction requires. Anything that depends on arborist judgment, including species and condition questions and any required mitigation, is handled by a certified arborist, and that information is incorporated into the survey as appropriate.
Yes. Tree locations are commonly delivered with or referenced to other survey data so the design team works from one coordinated base. When a project also needs existing grades, drainage, pavement, or structures, the tree data can be collected with or added to a Topographic Survey and prepared in the project's coordinate system and datum. Eagle confirms the limits, deliverable format, and coordination requirements with the project team.
To prepare a proposal, Eagle typically needs the site and its survey limits, the city or county reviewing the submittal, any ordinance or submittal criteria you already have, and your schedule. If tagging, canopy information, or other specific attributes are required, include those as well so the field scope matches the submittal. Eagle Surveying performs commercial tree surveys for development and permitting projects throughout Texas, with teams based in Denton and Waco.
Request a Tree Survey.
Send the site location, survey limits, reviewing jurisdiction, available ordinance or submittal criteria, and requested schedule. Eagle will review the information and prepare a proposal.