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lisar  
#1 Posted : 01 November 2012 13:41:32(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
lisar

Hello,

I have to look into the management and risk assessment of trees in our site carparks. Seems not so important in the grand scheme of my ever growing in tray.

Anyway, having read who should inspect the trees it says" having a working knowledge of trees"- How do I gain a working knowledge of trees.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/fo.../sims/ag_food/010705.htm

Anyone else out there do this?

jwk  
#2 Posted : 01 November 2012 13:56:06(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
jwk

I guess a simple answer would be a tree surgeon, though recent case law (which I can't remember the details of) seems to imply that for a civil defence a common-sense approach will do, i.e. does the tree show any obvious signs of damage, illness or decay? But I think you might need to take a more robust approach for possible criminal breaches.

We have several thousand trees throughout our various estates, and the first thing we do is identify the ones that pose a reasonable risk to the public; i.e. they have to big wnough to hurt if they fall on you, and they have to be in an area where we invite workers or the public or where the public has a right of way, or where they border and adjacent property. Having dones this we get a tree-surgeon in to do a survey, and then we carry out any recommended remedial works. Re-inpscetion is done at intervals as recommended by the initial inspection. Costs for the surveys are in the hundreds per property, depending on the size of teh grounds.

You've already said it's a car park, so people are invited to use it; how big are your trees?

John
bilbo  
#3 Posted : 01 November 2012 14:02:58(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
bilbo

Have PM'd you
teh_boy  
#4 Posted : 01 November 2012 14:40:14(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
teh_boy

I know an expert in trees!
Honestly, he is a consultant to several councils etc :)

If you PM me I am happy to pass on your contact details to him and ask him to give you a call.

Canopener  
#5 Posted : 01 November 2012 15:19:08(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Canopener

We have adopted a tiered approach to this. Car park inspectors and our grounds maintenance teams have all had a one day training course that gives them a basic overview of tree diseases, faults etc. If they spot a potential problem they inform our ranger who has a lot more experience of dealing with trees and then if necessary he will deal with it or call in an aborist.

You might find the Forestry Commission practice guide to tree hazards useful (fcpg13) as this provides a good overview and appendix shows tree hazards and recommendations.
Firesafetybod  
#6 Posted : 01 November 2012 20:31:02(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Firesafetybod

Hi

To add to the previous posts, the following links may be of interest.
http://heartwoods.co.uk/...ord-Lockhart-Garratt.pdf
and
“Three recent court cases have underlined the need for landowners to inspect their trees. The cases provide differing guidance as to the type of inspection to be undertaken, the level of competence required of the tree inspector and the frequency of inspections. It appears there is no such thing as one size fits all and every case is judged on its own merits.”
http://www.hellistreecon...n_where_why_and_how.html

Cheers
peter gotch  
#7 Posted : 02 November 2012 13:08:23(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
peter gotch

Lisa

There's guidance on the training of those inspecting trees at

http://vscg.co.uk/good-p...d/tree-safety-management
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