Tree Risk Management
This overview of tree risk management techniques and methodologies is intended to be a resource for arborists and risk managers to clarify how risk assessments are made and how a risk manager may use those assessments to inform their decision making.
To start, it is helpful to ask “What is risk management when it comes to trees?”
This is actually a two part question:
To make an informed management decision, the person accepting liability for the tree (the risk manager) must know how much risk exists. Typically, in the US, this comes in the form of a tree risk assessment and a verbal or written report provided by a qualified arborist, along with mitigation options to bring the tree to a lower level of residual risk.
Once the risk has been identified, the manager must decide their risk tolerance by balancing the possibility of loss against current and long-term benefits provided by the tree and resources available for managing the condition of concern.
The credibility of current approaches to tree risk management will be discussed through a handful of case studies, a comparison of two common fungal pathogens, and touch on the pros and cons of some popular diagnostic tools, and end with a recap of takeaways from the discussion and how these points can be incorporated into risk assessment practice.
To start, it is helpful to ask “What is risk management when it comes to trees?”
This is actually a two part question:
- How much risk exists?
- How much risk is acceptable?
To make an informed management decision, the person accepting liability for the tree (the risk manager) must know how much risk exists. Typically, in the US, this comes in the form of a tree risk assessment and a verbal or written report provided by a qualified arborist, along with mitigation options to bring the tree to a lower level of residual risk.
Once the risk has been identified, the manager must decide their risk tolerance by balancing the possibility of loss against current and long-term benefits provided by the tree and resources available for managing the condition of concern.
The credibility of current approaches to tree risk management will be discussed through a handful of case studies, a comparison of two common fungal pathogens, and touch on the pros and cons of some popular diagnostic tools, and end with a recap of takeaways from the discussion and how these points can be incorporated into risk assessment practice.
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This project was built as an assignment for the Tree Risk Management module within the MSc Arboriculture and Urban Forestry course at Myerscough College. All photos and content are my own unless otherwise attributed or cited. All names, addresses, and dates are made up, but accurately reflect season and site conditions at the time of assessment.
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