Why contractor evidence matters
Contractors do most of the physical work that touches public trees. Without clear proof of work, the council pays invoices for activity it cannot describe in detail and cannot point to in the asset record.
Work allocation and scope clarity
Useful contractor management starts before site work. The work order should make scope unambiguous: which trees, what action, what timeframe and what evidence is required at closeout.
Photos, notes, forms and GPS
Evidence should be structured. Free-text notes are useful in addition, not in place of, photos and structured activity records. GPS at the time of capture is increasingly available on field devices and should be a default expectation.
Compliance and safety evidence
Traffic management plans, site hazard forms, SWMS where applicable, and other compliance evidence should attach to the job and be retrievable later. The tree record should reference where they live.
Updating the council record after contractor activity
The most important closeout step is the easiest to miss. Each contractor visit should result in an updated tree record — new latest known condition, work performed, contractor identity, evidence attached and next review date if relevant.