Arborist report comparison for Toronto development applicants

Compare B&H Consulting Arborist, Toronto Tree Services and Arborist Group by application-specific scope—not report name alone—and request coordinated tree-protection drawings alongside the assessment. Their advertised services differ in detail. [4][5][6]

Compare scope, commissioning information and terms

Send each provider the same application checklist and drawing set so quotes cover comparable work.

B&H Consulting Arborist

• Advertised development scope: Inventory, impact assessment, retain/mitigate/remove recommendations, protection plans, and mitigation or replacement/compensation content. [4]
• Commissioning information: Ask which client documents and site information it needs to scope the package. [4]
• Pricing and booking terms: Ask B&H to confirm the report price, included revision count and cancellation/refund terms in writing. [4]

Toronto Tree Services

• Advertised development scope: Report scoping around permit, construction, condition/risk or property-record needs; specify development-application work when enquiring. [5]
• Commissioning information: Requests the municipal checklist, plans, photographs, deadline and existing tree numbers. [5]
• Pricing and booking terms: Offers a free estimate; ask Toronto Tree Services to confirm the report price, delivery duration, revision allowance, warranty and cancellation/refund terms in writing. [5]

Arborist Group

• Advertised development scope: Its construction report includes a full inventory, root-protection-zone calculations, fencing plan, canopy/root impact assessment and construction-period monitoring schedule. [6]
• Commissioning information: Ask which project documents it needs before quoting. [6]
• Pricing and booking terms: Ask Arborist Group to confirm its intake checklist, report price, billing unit, booking conditions and revision allowance in writing. [6]

Shortlist by scope, then obtain comparable written quotes. For a monitoring schedule, ask whether the quoted fee includes the site visits it describes.

Match the package to removal, injury or ravine work

Toronto’s application guidance distinguishes these packages: [1]

• Removal: Request tree locations, species, sizes, condition, structural integrity, disease, infestations and health, plus proposed work and protection measures. Include a landscape/replanting plan and clear colour photographs; construction-related applications also call for a scaled site plan and elevations. [1]
• Injury: Request the condition and proposed-work assessment plus a Tree Protection Plan prepared by or in consultation with an arborist. First-floor, basement and construction-detail drawings may also be needed. [1]
• Ravine work: For qualifying work on land wholly or partly within a Ravine and Natural Feature Protection (RNFP) area—including tree impacts, fill placement or grade changes—request coverage of on-site trees and adjacent-property trees within 12 m of construction activity. Include retained-tree protection, pruning requirements and maintenance for newly planted trees and shrubs over the two-year warranty period. Survey, restoration, grading, geotechnical and other supporting documents depend on the project. [1]

A recommendation is not permission. Toronto’s guidance says to obtain a permit before injuring or removing protected trees or ravine features; submission does not guarantee approval. Confirm any claimed exemption with the City. [1]

Coordinate the inventory and drawings

Specify consistent tree identifiers across the inventory, report, site plan, removal proposals and protection drawing. Treat this as a coordination safeguard, not a City tagging specification: the City’s cited page does not state a mandatory physical tagging method. [1]

Request drawings addressing the City’s checklist:

• Removal and protection: Clearly identify removal trees and plot Tree Protection Zones (TPZs) to scale, labelling minimum protection distances and hoarding locations. Show existing and proposed structures, driveways and driveway resurfacing. [1]
• RNFP: Use metric, scaled drawings with a title and drawing number, preparation and revision dates, north arrow, municipal address, adjacent streets, project name, applicant and preparing firm. Include the RNFP line. [1]

Agree who supplies the base survey and reconciles tree locations. Toronto places responsibility for determining property boundaries and tree ownership on the applicant; its guidance calls for an up-to-date property survey if the applicant disputes a Boundary Tree identified by the City. [1]

Separate condition findings from construction impacts

Ask the author to distinguish observed condition, assessment limitations, proposed impacts and protection recommendations. Toronto’s guidance calls for condition findings alongside proposed work and protection measures. [1]

The Waterfront East LRT’s February 2022 arborist report provides an older project example: assessments were ground-level, unsurveyed locations were approximate, and condition-related removal was distinguished from development-related removal, retention, protection and injury. [3]

Its recommendations included advance protection fencing, sensitive excavation, root pruning and arborist supervision. These are examples, not universal Toronto specifications; request instructions and supervision triggers tailored to the proposal. [3]

Confirm qualifications, revisions and deliverables

Toronto’s application page defines an arborist as an expert in tree care and maintenance and calls for injury protection plans prepared by, or in consultation with, an arborist. [1] Ask the City to confirm any applicable credential, insurance or signature/seal requirements.

Ask who will inspect, author and sign the report, and confirm their qualifications and development-project experience. Agree on report and drawing formats the designer can use.

Document the drawing versions assessed, included revision rounds, response times, extra-work billing and who circulates updated files. The Waterfront East LRT report warns that design changes affecting trees may require revisions and asks for new drawings before municipal submission. [3]

Separately price City-comment responses, protection-drawing revisions and coordination calls. Toronto’s guidance calls for an additional application when a project introduces injury or removal of additional trees; changed impacts to previously listed trees should be discussed with reviewing City staff, and other changes may require a new application. [1]

What to confirm with each provider

• Commercial terms: Total price, billing basis, additional-work rates, delivery timing, payment schedule and cancellation/refund terms.
• Scope boundaries: Supporting plans, revision rounds, City-comment responses and construction-monitoring visits included in the fee.
• Professional deliverables: Named author, qualifications, professional-liability insurance, signatures, file formats and coordinated drawing handover.
• Responsibilities: Who assembles and files the application, responds to comments and distributes revised documents.

Assign submission and pre-construction responsibilities

Name the person who files the package—not merely prepares it. Toronto directs applications and supporting documents online or to a Service Counter/local Tree Protection and Plan Review office, rather than accepting new Tree Permit Applications by email. [1]

• Protection and inspections: Assign hoarding installation, photographs and inspection coordination. Toronto’s guidance calls for approved construction-related hoarding before permit issuance, with required conditions and the permit in place before work, injury or removal begins. Separately assign commissioned arborist monitoring. [1]
• Signatures and posting: Assign the signed, dated and witnessed private-tree Undertaking and Release where applicable. Toronto directs applicants to post the permit visibly one day before work and keep it posted until approved work is complete. [1]

Keep consultant fees separate from municipal charges. Toronto states RNFP application fees are non-refundable. [1] Before booking, document the application scope, coordinated deliverables, price basis, revisions and named responsibilities.

References

1. How to Apply for a Tree or Ravine Permit – City of Toronto (toronto.ca, 2026)
3. Appendix E: Arborist Report (toronto.ca, 2022)
4. Arborist Reports for Development Permits | Toronto, Hamilton & GTA Guide (bhconsultingarb.ca)
5. Arborist Reports In Toronto | Toronto Tree Services (torontotreeservices.ca)
6. Which Arborist Report Do I Need? A Situation-by-Situation Guide (arboristgroup.com)