Tree Safety & Survey
Tree Safety Overview
A great deal of time, effort and money have been wasted in reacting to concerns over tree safety. Trees are generally a valuable asset in our living environment and provide tangible benefits for our well being. The National Tree Safety Group was set up in August 2007 to address concerns regarding tree safety and more importantly to provide practical advice to tree owners on how to manage their tree assets responsibly.
A M Lane Ltd have been at the leading edge of providing sensible pragmatic tree safety advice to home owners, major landowners and local councils. We pride ourselves in providing defendable tree safety advice for our clients whilst preserving valuable tree assets.
Are my trees safe and am I liable?
No tree is entirely safe, however broadly speaking for liability to flow under the Occupiers Liability Act 1957 or the Health & Safety At Work etc Act 1974, any failure of a tree needs to be reasonably foreseeable. That is to say that the failure might have been foreseeably avoided by taking some form of action proportional to the risk posed. Clearly the easiest way of removing any foreseeable risk is to fell the tree, however this has significant environmental, financial and cultural implications, such that it is not a reasonable response to what is generally a negligible risk. Foreseeability is a matter for the courts to ultimately decide, nevertheless a tree owner has a considerable defence where they can prove that reasonable steps have been taken to avoid injury or damage. Being reasonable can include the inspection of the trees and the carrying out of works to bring the trees within acceptable levels of safety. A systematic inspection by a suitably qualified person can provide a suitable defence where a tree fails and causes injury or loss.
Mortgage & Householder Report
You may have found a property and everything is proceeding until at the 11th hour the mortgage company or surveyor request a report on trees close to the property. We can respond very quickly to provide a draft report for your mortgage lender or insurer. All we need are the post code and address details, your contact number and the number of the agent selling the property so we can gain access.
There is no need to be put off purchasing due to having trees on or close to your property. We can provide expert advice on the safety of the trees, as well as any potential problems they pose with regard to drains or foundations.
Tree Survey & Inspection
Whether you have 1 or 1000 trees we are able to provide a survey and inspection service to meet your needs. Several levels of survey and inspection are offered including the use of internationally respected Tree Risk Assessment methodologies. In all cases our assessors and inspectors are experienced professionals holding recognised qualifications in tree inspection.
At a basic level we offer a Active Walkover Survey whereby our surveyor does not inspect each tree individually but makes a general visual assessment of your trees, only inspecting those showing signs of debility or potential hazard features. The aim is to identify safety issues and make recommendations. This provides a quick, cost effective approach to assessing your trees and ensures we only carry out detailed assessment where necessary. Reports are typically in a tabulated form with trees being grouped where necessary.
Detailed & Advanced Inspection seeks to look at the trees in more detail. Again groups of trees may be assessed collectively rather than individually. The assessment will focus on their safety, as well as making recommendations for their future management. Reports are tabulated for easy access and are supported by a sketch plan.
Tree Risk Assessment
A M Lane Ltd are licensed users of the QTRA & VALID Methodologies which provide a consistent method of providing a 'target lead' approach to tree inspection and assessment.
Click on the pictures to link you to the QTRA or VALID website for more information.
We have used the methodology successfully in managing large tree populations for commercial and local government clients. The methodology allows us to identify which parts of the population need inspection soonest and to develop tree risk strategies based on the data collected.
For larger tree populations the data is collected using MS Excel for ease of transfer, however other bespoke tree management data bases can also incorporate QTRA as a module in the data collection software.
Aerial Tree Inspections
All too often significant tree defects are located in the canopy of the tree and need to be assessed close up. Inspection under 3m can most often be undertaken from a ladder and our surveyors are equipped and trained to do this, subject to an onsite risk assessment. Beyond 3m we have to resort to inspection from a rope and harness or using a Mobile Elevated Work Platform. In both cases a minimum of two trained and competent operatives are required.
All work at height is in accordance with the Aerial Treework Industry Code Of Practice.
Detailed Decay Analysis
Decay does not always immediately call for drastic pruning or for the removal of a tree. Decay fungi and trees have evolved together over millennia, such that we need to assess the relationship carefully before making drastic and often expensive decisions.
Where decay is identified during inspection, the significance of that decay to the tree's safety and management needs to be assessed. We can send fungal fruiting bodies off for analysis on behalf of the client at cost where field identification is not possible. Fungal identification then enables us to determine the type of decay present in the tree and how significant this is to the affected part.
Following identification we can use state of the art decay mapping equipment or a simple small diameter twist drill to assess the extent of decay. This will enable us to determine how well the tree is adapting to the decay and whether further action is required or whether we just keep an eye on it. For further detail on the resistograph
