Strategy, Compliance & Support
for the Tree & Landscape Industry 

Helping businesses grow with confidence

Welcome

Burl Consulting is a specialist business consultancy with deep roots in the tree and landscape industries. We provide practical, common-sense solutions to untangle the knotty problems holding your business back. Backed by decades of experience and a proven track record, our directors help you increase sales, improve compliance, and build a sustainable competitive advantage - without the typical corporate fluff.

Elcoat is part of Burl Consulting Ltd. This continues a long-standing reputation for dependability and proven results, with the same services and expertise our clients have always relied on.

“With Elcoat’s help, we became Arb Association Approved, ISO 9001 certified, and secured NHSS 18. We now win contracts we would never have been considered for before.”

About Us

We are trusted partners, not traditional consultants.

Whether it’s high-level strategy or practical, hands-on support, we tailor our role to suit your business. From one-off troubleshooting to long-term retained advisory, we integrate into your team and leave nothing to chance.

Our role is to put the right systems in place so that your business runs more smoothly, more profitably, in compliance with the law, and positioned to win tenders. That way, you can focus on what you do best - running your business with confidence.

Our reputation has been built on integrity, reliability, and results. Today, Burl Consulting continues that legacy, supporting organisations across the arboriculture and landscaping industries with the same trusted approach.

Our Services

We provide comprehensive support across strategy,
governance, compliance, and operations. Our core expertise includes:

Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor (AAC) accreditation

Full guidance and hands-on support to achieve and maintain AAC status, one of the most recognised benchmarks in the industry.

Outline of a certificate with a ribbon badge in the center.

ISO Certifications as an Integrated Management System

Implementing and auditing ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environmental), and ISO 45001 (Health & Safety) as a single, joined-up framework that works in practice.

A gear icon with a checkmark in the center signifying successful or completed process.

BALI Full Contractor status

Guidance and support through the British Association of Landscape Industries accreditation process.

Green eco logo with a leaf inside a circle and two arrows wrapping around, symbolizing sustainability and recycling.

Supply chain accreditations

Achieving CHAS, SMAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline, and Achilles RISQS where required.

Outline of a green award ribbon with a star in the center on a black background.

Pre-qualification questionnaires and tender preparation

Navigating PQQs and compiling winning bid packages.

Outline of a document with checkmarks and a large checkmark inside a circle, symbolizing completed tasks or verified documents.

Company health checks and audits

Independent reviews to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.

A black shield outlined in green with a green medical cross in the center.

Team coaching and training

Preparing individuals and teams for important industry certifications and qualifications.

Icon of three people with a checkmark above them, representing approval or successful team.

Documentation support

Producing professional policies, contracts, handbooks, risk assessments (including COSHH), and other essential documents.

Outline drawing of a stack of two documents with lines representing text.

Post-incident support

Guidance and damage limitation after adverse events to protect your reputation.

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“Before working with Elcoat, we were steady at £200k turnover with little profit. One year later - £650k turnover with 35% net profit. The return on investment made you our best business decision yet.”

Our Approach

Embedded Partnership:

We act as directors, advisors, partners, or part-time colleagues - whatever you need us to be.

Knowledge Transfer:

We upskill your people so you aren’t dependent on us long term.

On-Demand Expertise:

Call us in when you need us, step back when you don’t.

Why Clients Stay With Us

Many of our clients come back to us time and again when new opportunities arise.

Even after learning the process, they would rather focus on the parts of their business they enjoy and trust us to deliver tender submissions and compliance packages of a quality that moves them forward with confidence.

We have never failed to achieve what we set out to do for a client. The feedback we hear most often is that while our services may feel like a leap of faith at first, the returns far outweigh the investment.

  • We really couldn’t have completed all this without your help

    Trueman Tree Services

  • just to let you know that we won the Exeter City Council contract that you helped us with. Thank you so much for your input

    Devon Tree Services Ltd

  • Thanks Paul, I think they both got a lot from it and are buzzing now. Thank you very much!

    Urban Forestry (Bury St Edmonds) Ltd

  • The training this morning was incredibly helpful – thank you so much for your time

    Urban Forestry (Bury St Edmonds) Ltd

  • Many thanks for today, was really helpful to connect the dotsNew List Item

    Urban Forestry (Bury St Edmonds) Ltd

  • I just wanted to say a big thank you for auditing us last week for the ISO certification and for all your support with Stephen too, it’s very much appreciated

    Beechwood Trees and Landscapes Ltd

  • Thank you very much you a legend as always

    XL Tree Specialists Ltd

  • Perfect, thank you, I have total trust in your cunning plan!

    Climbers Way Tree Care Ltd

  • Amazing thank you Paul and for your help over the last few months. The Arb assessment went very well last week, the assessor was very complementary about the business and said the examples of work were spot on

    C&D Trees Ltd

  • I am looking forward to showing you our new buildings so you can see what your advice and help can achieve!

    Artemis Tree Services Ltd

  • Your help and support are vital to me and very much appreciated, next year could be very interesting with a few changes and tender prep starting early on

    Wilson Tree Surgery Ltd

  • Paul, we passed! (ArbAC). Massive thank you! Couldn't have done it without you, so honestly, thank you so much

    Treehab Ltd

  • Many thanks once again for all your hard work and guidance on this

    Advanced Trees & Grounds Ltd

  • Your advice has definitely helped to put together an excellent team and to develop a very successful business. Thanks for everything, you are a remarkable man

    Tough Terrain Ltd (New Zealand)

  • Just want to say almost no day passes when I don’t benefit from the administrative process we went through together

    Garden Thyme

  • Thank you for all your support and advice during the Approved Contractor process, we couldn’t have done it without you

    Special Branch Tree Surgery Ltd

  • Just letting you know that we had our assessment last week and we have now passed both desktop and site visit so all good! Thanks for your help on getting me through, your programme is excellent and regardless of the ArbAC, the business is running much better with the systems we are using now

    Greenworks Tree Surgery Ltd

  • The annual audits have been a good project to work towards each year, and I’ve found it a really impactful project to be part of. Your clear, calm and confident communication is something I’ve found really helpful and have tried to reflect when trying to explain audits and procedures to our team

    Urban Forestry (Bury St Edmonds) Ltd

  • Just to let you know we have been awarded to Southend Contract. Massive thanks for all of your help

    Tree Fella Ltd

  • Thank you for all your expert advice and help, from the important manual stuff to the nitty gritty paperwork - the way you have explained everything so well has been invaluable to us all. Not going to lie – I am still learning but feel much more confident when a pre qual asks for some random piece of information or policy that we’ll have it now and if not, you will help

    Yorkshire Tree Contractors Ltd

  • Good morning, Paul, just wanted to say thank you for your help with our work together. We have just passed our arb approved

    Michael Miller

  • Thank you for today, we really appreciate what you do for us. I have a massive amount of respect for you and the service you provide

    RTT Services South Ltd

  • Hi Paul, Hope you are well. Just an update to say we have become arb approved and I want to say a massive thank you for all your input and help in achieving it

    Silver Oak Arboriculture Ltd

  • I PASSED!!!!!! (Arb Approved Contractor) Just done a knee slide in the yard

    CJ Tree Surgeons Ltd

  • Many thanks for this morning. You always manage to pull something out of the hat that is unexpected and today was no exception! Thanks for keeping me on my toes

    Tree Frontiers Ltd

  • You are a star. Thank you so much for dealing with that so quickly for us. It looks great and very comprehensive. It is very much appreciated

    JS Agriculture Ltd

  • Thank you, you are a superstar!

    Green Valley Arborists Ltd

  • It has been an absolute pleasure working with you on this project, one that has elevated our company to the highest of standards so thank you for all you have done for us

    Devon Tree Services Ltd

  • The lads really enjoyed the team leader training and told me they had got a lot out of the session. Thank you for taking the time out to come and visit us! We look forward to continuing our work with you!

    Ringrose Tree Services

  • I just want to thank you personally for guiding us through our ISO process. When I decided to seek ISO certification, I had a rough idea how it would benefit Ground Up Training. However, after 9 months of meetings with you, the results have far surpassed my initial expectations. I feel we have really tightened up many areas of the company. I am thoroughly happy with the outcome. Meeting you has been a real highlight of my career in Arboriculture. I constantly seek out people I can learn from, who have a no-nonsense attitude, and attention to detail. Your display of these characteristics has been second to none. I truly thank you for your time

    Ground Up Training Ltd

  • It’s been a pleasure working with you. Thank you for your kindness and help with the Audit, I really appreciate it

    Westfield Tree Services Ltd

  • Thank you, mate. You’re the best!!

    Thor’s Trees

  • I’m emailing to thank you for your input on our tender for OXCC highways. We have been successful in our bid with very favourable comments

    Ringrose Tree Services Ltd

  • Thank you again for making such a difference to all our documents and helping me deal with the mammoth task of getting this company in line! It is a real relief to not be going in blind with so many of these parts of the business, honestly

    Joe Court Forestry Ltd

  • Thanks Paul, worth every penny

    Street Tree Ltd

  • I would like to thank you for your continued support over the years, which has been very much appreciated

    Kieran Boyland Tree Care Ltd

  • Just a quick email to say we have now been approved by the Arb Association. Thank you for all your help. I have learnt a lot during our sessions, and it’s been very helpful and informative, as well as improving our business. Look forward to working together again in the future

    Waltons Tree Services Ltd

  • Thank you, Paul. I have really appreciated the help you have given me over the last 18 months or so. Although I've not got things perfect, I am a lot less stressed. Any stress I do have is more about time management and getting things done rather than not knowing how. I guess I feel much more business-like and a lot less odd-job-sweaty-tree-surgeon-with-a-pocket-full-of-receipts-cash-and-sawdust

    Arb Advice

  • I often get asked by various different people, including industry peers, family members, friends, and other business owners alike, what was the turning moment in your business that made the biggest change. I am posting this as I got asked this very question twice today and my honest answer is I was recommended to Paul Elcoat to help us obtain Arb Approval but what he brought to the table in the 9 sessions with me and Bekki Pritchard ultimately led to drastic changes in the way we operated as a company which shaped GroundLord Limited to the company that it is today; for me it was my single best investment to date!

    GroundLord Ltd

Contact Us

info@paulelcoat.co.uk
07800 615 900

Elcoat - Burl Consulting Ltd

With the right systems and support in place, your business will be ready for whatever comes its way.

Coaching that leads to
industry-recognised accreditations:

Green shield logo with a white tree and the text 'ARB Approved Contractor' and the website 'trees.org.uk'.