Arborist Report Template: What to Include and Why

Your arborist report is the only thing most clients ever see from your field work. The inventory itself — the hours of walking, measuring, and photographing — gets compressed into a document that either builds trust or undermines it.

After reviewing hundreds of arborist reports, we've identified what separates the ones that win repeat clients from the ones that get filed and forgotten. Here's the template.

Section 1: Cover Page

Simple but important. Include your company name, logo, the property address, the date of assessment, the report author's name and credentials (ISA certification number), and the client's name.

What clients notice: Whether you look professional before they read a single word. A clean cover page with your branding sets the tone.

Section 2: Executive Summary

This is the most-read section of any report. Property managers, HOA boards, and insurance adjusters often read only this page. It should include:

• Total number of trees inventoried
• Species diversity summary (e.g., “14 species across 87 trees”)
• Overall property condition (e.g., “72% of trees in Good or Fair condition”)
• High-priority findings (e.g., “3 trees rated High Risk requiring immediate attention”)
• Top-line recommendations

Keep it to one page. If someone reads nothing else, they should understand the state of the property and what needs to happen next.

Section 3: Methodology

Describe how the assessment was conducted: the date(s) of field work, what level of assessment was performed (see our guide on tree risk assessment levels), what standards you followed (ISA BMP, TRAQ, ANSI A300), equipment used, and any limitations (e.g., “subsurface root inspection was not performed”).

What clients skip:Most of this section. But it's critical for legal defensibility and professional credibility. Insurance companies and attorneys will read it.

Section 4: Individual Tree Records

The core of the report. Each tree gets its own record with:

• Tree ID — Unique identifier matching the GPS map
• Species — Common and scientific names
• Measurements — DBH, height, canopy spread (see our DBH measurement guide)
• Health rating — On your standardized scale with brief justification
• Structural assessment — Defects observed, load-bearing capacity
• Risk rating — Likelihood of failure, consequence, overall risk
• Photos — Full tree, bark detail, any defects
• Recommendations — Specific actions: prune, remove, monitor, no action

Format these as table rows or individual cards — not paragraphs of prose. Clients need to scan, not read novels.

Section 5: Species Composition Summary

A table or chart showing species distribution across the property. This reveals over-reliance on single species (a risk factor — remember the Emerald Ash Borer), highlights diversity, and helps with long-term planting recommendations.

Include: species name, count, percentage of total, and average condition by species. A pie chart or bar graph makes this immediately digestible.

Section 6: Risk Matrix

A summary table of all trees rated Moderate, High, or Extreme risk. Sort by risk level (highest first). Include tree ID, species, location description, risk rating, primary defect, and recommended action with timeframe.

This is the section property managers use to build maintenance budgets and prioritize work orders. Make it actionable.

Section 7: GPS Map

A property map with tree locations plotted and color-coded by health status or risk rating. This gives clients the spatial context that tables alone cannot provide. Ideally, the map is interactive or at minimum includes a legend and tree IDs that cross-reference the individual records.

Tree Inventory AI generates GPS-tagged maps automatically from field capture, with optional 3D property walkthroughs that let clients explore findings spatially.

Section 8: Recommendations

A consolidated list of recommended actions organized by priority:

• Immediate (0-30 days) — High-risk trees requiring urgent mitigation
• Short-term (1-6 months) — Pruning, structural support, monitoring
• Long-term (6-24 months) — Re-inventory, planting, species diversification

Where possible, include estimated costs or cost ranges. This helps clients budget and demonstrates that you understand their operational reality, not just their trees.

Section 9: Disclaimers and Limitations

Every report needs this section. Common disclaimers include:

• Assessment was visual only (no subsurface or internal inspection unless Level 3 was performed)
• Conditions may change due to weather, disease, or construction
• Report reflects conditions at the time of assessment
• Trees not included in the inventory were not assessed

Your attorney should review your standard disclaimer language. This section protects you.

Section 10: Appendix

Additional photos, detailed species reference information, glossary of terms for non-technical readers, and your qualifications and certifications. Most clients won't read this, but it supports everything above.

What Clients Actually Read

After talking to dozens of property managers and HOA board members, here's the reality: they read the executive summary, skim the risk matrix, and look at the map. Everything else is for credibility, legal protection, and the rare technical reviewer.

That means your executive summary and risk matrix need to be flawless. The rest needs to be thorough but doesn't need to be beautiful.

How AI Auto-Generates Reports

Building a 50-tree report manually in Word takes 2-4 hours: formatting tables, inserting photos, creating the map, calculating summaries. AI tools like Tree Inventory AI's reporting engine generate the complete report — all 10 sections above — in under 60 seconds from your captured field data.

The AI populates individual tree records from your field capture, calculates species summaries, generates the risk matrix, plots the GPS map, and formats everything into a branded PDF. You review, adjust any recommendations, and deliver. What used to take an evening of office work becomes a few minutes of quality review.

Ready to stop building reports manually? See pricing or join the waitlist to try it free.