Selling Tree Inventories

rfwoodvt

rfwoodvt

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Location
This side of eternity.
Been taking care of the trees at a condo project for the past 5 years or so and we are finally at the point where they are beginning to see the value and benefit of having a tree inventory. We are talking hundreds of trees over 8" dbh BTW.

I have two hurdles I need to overcome. First is how do you folks price your inventories; by the tree, by the hour or some other method?

Second is I don't have access to a GPS unit so GIS mapping is out of the question. What are some of the ways you handle tree locations and/or mapping with out the aid of a GPS?

ThanX!
 
I actually just did my first street tree inventory this winter. At first I thought it was going to be outside of my capabilities, but it worked out alright. When I gave the board of directors an estimate I gave them a range I was going to stay inside. I basiclly took what they said they had for trees (previous inventory) minus the trees they "thought" they had taken out and came up with how many trees I would have to look at. I figured I could ID, assess (not a full on tree assessment), tag, and record a tree in "x" amount of time. And did the math from there. I was spot on, on the time it took to do the field work, the data input was was way off, and I estimated the cost of matierials instead of getting the price and I was 30% off there. Luckily I didnt have to pay anyone so it all worked out alright, and I have a return visit scheduled this summer to reassess a few trees in leaf.
In our inventroy each tree was associated with an address in the communitiy. It also was aspected to that address. So if the tree was to the rear of 242, its address was recored "242-R". So now the arborist that is doing the work just has to go to that address, go out back and find the tree among a half dozen or less (it is tagged as well with a number).
We ended up taking 21 hour in the field to tag, assess and record 910 trees. It was a fun job, and a learning experience for me. Next time I will put more in for office work, and get a better cost of materials before giving an estimate. I hope this helps. If you want I could probably send you a section of our assessment and more details on how it was completed.
 
The purpose of the inventory that I completed was to get an assessment of the overall health and condition of the trees in the community. They wanted it so that they could budget for impending tree work. During data collection, we identified work that needed to be completed and prioritized it. We actually found several high hazard trees that they had no idea were dangerous, and were being removed before we presented the final inventory.
One other important factor that this brought about was the lack of diversity amoung thier trees. The majority of the trees fell into 4 or 5 species. With Pin Oak being above all, and having issues with bacterial leaf scortch is making them think twice about what they plant.
 
Being a person that works on both end of the inventory I must say having a database to work off of when dealing with a large HOA is a must. Multi community HOAs could have thousands of trees and being able to locate them quickly and accurately is a godsend. I have done several inventories over the years on preservation projects and being able to convert the data to CAD and GIS maps makes a great visual presentation to a potential client or your crews to use for reference.
 
ARC GIS mostly. Im trying to find a simpler product that is auto cad based that can overlay on real world data. You can rent pretty spot on GPS units from environmental companies that are accurate to within inches. I use the trimble device.

http://ww2.trimble.com/
 
We currently use TreeWorks. We use the Trimble Juno SB handheld device. I've done a fair amount of inventory using this setup and have found it to be a great system.
 
I am a state certified tree expert in Nj...and have done some walking street tree inventories but have never used any such devices etc.....what is the doofuss learning curve?? in other words how long would it /does it take to learn such things and where / how does one learn ....?
 
TreeWorks software can be as simple or as complex as you set it up to be (i.e. the specific condition and risk ratings, detail, tasks, photos, etc. you decide you'd like to include, or that's spec'd with your inventory). Some inventories are very basic - size, species, location. Some (and, in my opinion, the most useful)inventories are very complex - planting date, species, size, condition, risk rating, pest problems, maintenance history, recommended future maintenance tasks, current photo(s), etc.

As far as learning the system, in my opinion, this is where the support from Kenerson Group really shines. To get you up to speed with the software and the handheld unit, you give them a call. You're at your computer also with the handheld. They're at their computer also with the handheld. They're looking at the same thing you are. They explain everything step-by-step. You have a question later on, give them a call. They'll walk you through it again. Some very patient folks over there. Remember, this is software developed by tree guys for tree guys. The learning curve isn't so bad. After a few days of collecting data and checking the unit in and out, you'll have it dialed in.
 
Yeah, Thanks Chewie,
it's nice to hear feedback from someone who uses the software that doesn't work for the company selling it.
I'll feel good when I buy this set up. Especially hearing that their customer support is good.
 
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