I think what
@colb is driving at, is that the tree is the property of the owner, not the arborist, and that decisions regarding management actions for the tree belong entirely to the owner of the tree. If an arborist is being asked to advise a client in order to help them to make an informed decision, then ethics require that arborist to advise the owner of limitations to their experience and abilities. Just because they don't have the knowledge or experience to suitably mitigate risk on a given tree, doesn't mean that another arborist in that market with more advanced knowledge and experience won't be able to deliver risk mitigation options more in line with what the property owner asks for.
For an arborist to flatly state that there are no other options, puts the arborist' thumb directly on the scale. It deprives the tree owner of any opportunity to make a fully informed decision regarding their tree. It's unethical and lowers the bar for the entire industry.
There is absolutely no shame in an arborist telling a client that a particular scenario is outside of their work experience and/or the primary focus of their practice. A true all-star arborist would at that point, make this clear to the client, and provide referral information for other practitioners, better matched to the desires of the client.nailed it
There are some threads archived here in Treebuzz, which have information about an older declining Horse Chestnut tree in Amsterdam, next to the annex where Anne Frank and her family hid from Nazis. She mentioned the tree three times in her diary. The tree was infected with Ganoderma applenatum. After much back and forth between arborists and stakeholders, an informed decision was made to erect a steel exoskeleton around the trunk of the tree to provide support with the aim of extending the cultural contributions of the tree for a greater length of time. The cost was high, but so was the significance of the tree. The tree lasted another 3 years before failing altogether. Slight damage occurred to a wall and a garden.
I use this as a reference point for clients who want to preserve a tree, to illustrate that any tree can be preserved....for a price. It helps them decide where their own tree sits in a broad spectrum with "nuisance" at one end and "Anne Frank Tree" at the other.
