Across the British Isles, tree owners bear the burden of responsibility and liability for their trees, unless certain conditions state otherwise. Therefore, they must take all reasonable precautions to prevent injury or loss occurring to a third party as a result of their property. However, for some tree owners, there are additional legally overiding statutory constraints that can govern or refuse actions that a tree owner could undertake.

The most common type of constraints are known as: Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), Conservation Areas, Covenants, Felling Licences, and Sites of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI). Trees that are subject to these constraints require acknowledgement and a considered determination from third parties such as: Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) or government organisations such as The Forestry Comission. In these situations, the use of Visual Tree Assessments (VTAs) that identify the need for tree management to mitigate potential hazards or perceived threats are a comprehensive way of documenting and reporting potential risks to a governing third party such as an LPA or government organisation.