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Even Healthy Trees Can Pose Safety Risks
Even healthy looking trees can be dangerous. The oak tree that snapped, fell and injured two people near the state capitol in Madison last week, proved this to be true. In that situation, the tree had just been inspected and declared safe. The reason for the tree’s failure remains unknown.
Such instances are rare, most of the time unsafe trees can be found during an inspection, said Briana Frank, a certified arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture. Qualified tree risk assessors such as Frank are often called by property owners who want to make sure their trees are safe.
“There are often signs that a tree will fail and it’s our job to go through each part of the tree and decide what the risk is,” she said.
The International Society of Arboriculture has a risk assessment protocol that should be followed to help determine what risks trees pose in certain urban environments, Frank said.
She said there are three elements to this type of risk assessment:
- What is the likelihood the tree is going to fail?
- What is the likelihood it would impact a target if it failed?
- What are the consequences if the impact would happen?
This protocol helps property owners understand what risks their trees pose.
There used to be a 12-point system for assessing tree risk, but that system was replaced because it was so user dependent, Frank said.
“One arborist was not coming up with the same results that another arborist would,” she said of the former system.
To make sure everyone is on the same page, the International Society of Arboriculture offers certification for arborists who take a tree risk assessor’s course. This has resulted in more standard risk assessment results, Frank said.
She advised property owners to hire an arborist who has taken the course and is qualified in risk assessment.
Episode Credits
- Larry Meiller Host
- Jill Nadeau Producer
- Briana Frank Guest
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