Tree appraisal post forest fire

niceviews

niceviews

Location
Asheville, NC
I went out today to look at a forest fire that happened near National Forest land. The fire unintentionally spread from my clients property up the mountain and encroached on 2 houses. It happened after we had some good rain, so it was mainly a brush fire, not a tree fire. The mtn laurel understory was the main fuel source and it was a fairly quick burning fire. Most of the affected forest already has full leaf emergence where the fire wasn't hottest. The top of the mountain, where the 2 houses are, is where it was hottest and did the most damage. I will add that this area also saw a late frost that affected some early leaf emergence a week before the fire. About a 3 acre area between these 2 houses hasn't leafed out yet. I could easily see live swollen buds in most of the tree tops, but the lower branches were fried, as were most of the understory mtn laurels. The forest was mostly deciduous and comprised of Chestnut Oaks, White Oaks, Red Oaks, Red Maples, Tulip Poplars, Sourwoods, and Sweet Birches mainly. Most of the trees were approximately 15" in diameter on average.

I met the two owners of the affected houses, and they both seem to be looking for easy money. My client wants to do what is right, but not fold over and give them an absurd amount of money. I am asked to do an appraisal and make recomendations on mangagement and replanting. The more money greedy homeowner was waving around the trunk appraisal method today, but i just dont feel like that is the most applicable appraisal method. Is a property loss value appraisal a better way to go? If so, how do you determine the added value % that the woods adds to the property?

Any help, advice, or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Im sure someone on here has dealt with a larger scale fire like this.
thanks
 
4 hours east of you, BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
A sheriff's vehicle went out of control into the client's property and burned.
ASSIGNMENT
asked me to appraise the loss to trees and landscape. I called the insurance adjuster and advised I would be appraising the loss. The use and purpose of this appraisal is to assist in reaching fair compensation for the loss. My rate is $ /hour, $ /hour for testimony. I am limited by time and resources.
OBSERVATIONS
2012 I saw from northbound Highway , tire tracks go through the ditch. The tracks go over two broken boxwoods and into a line of trees, primarily Juniperus virginiana and Pinus taeda, redcedars and pines. The soil around trees #9-11, where the fire burned the most, has living roots 1” below grade.
Pines #1, 9, 10, and 11 have trunk wounds, and many branches burned, and are considered lost. At this point in time, the rest of the pines have enough green to be restored with a reasonable chance of success. The cedars were a fairly continuous understory, so all their needles burned, and for a distance of 175’ they are all lost. Trunk calipers (diameter 6” above grade) measured up to 4”.
HARDSCAPE The end of the culvert is chipped. A brick in the wall has a chip 2” x 4”. Rocks were found in the lawn 60’ from the ditch they came from.

DISCUSSION
The effects of the fire were primarily above ground, which improves the prognosis for the pines’ restoration. This process should take the following steps:
Pruning dead branches from the pine trees. Those branches with green at the tips will be considered alive, and retained. Understory plants, even if they appear dead, should be retained for at least one year, to lessen the exposure and stress to the roots. $
Treating the damaged trees to lessen risk of insect and disease damage, 5 years $
Total Restoration Cost $

Spraying invasive grasses and other weeds from the edge of the lawn, under the pine branches, to lessen competition with the tree roots. Spring and summer.
Mulching under the pine branches, 4-6” of wood chips.
Planting 20 each redcedar and 20 each large-leafed ligustrum Ligustrum japonicum and 20 each Cryptomeria japonica ‘Yoshino’ parallel to the road, under the pine branches. The ligustrum and Cryptomeria are included because they are well adapted, and planting back with all one species would be inviting disease problems. Also, they will replace the lost pine foliage in a shorter time than the redcedars. Plants should be 6’ apart, in a staggered row. Installation should be in October.
Establishment The trees will need periodic irrigation and pest management for the first three years.

APPRAISAL: COST OF CURE METHOD
“When extensive damage has occurred”, there is a Cost of Cure Method of appraisal, which “…determines the cost of replacement and/or repairing of plants and restoration of property to a reasonable approximation of its original condition…” It is taken from the ninth edition of the Guide for Plant Appraisal, authored by the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers—a consortium of seven trade, educational and scientific associations, including the International Society of Arboriculture, the American Society of Consulting Arborists, the Tree Care Industry Association, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Association of Consulting Foresters of America, and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America, and published by the International Society of Arboriculture in 2000. Attached is the Field Form Report for this Cost of Cure appraisal (published 1997 by the International Society of Arboriculture), containing the necessary calculations.

I know of no effective and reasonable way to appraise the loss in the chipped wall and culvert.
The cost of the replacement plants is taken from Nursery, a wholesaler with a wide selection. Industry average installation cost is two and one half times the plant’s cost. It typically takes three years for trees to get established so they can survive drought. I estimate it will take a total of ten years for the replacement trees to fill in the buffer and restore the lost benefits. The plants would need maintenance four times a year during the three-year establishment period, and twice a year, March and September, for the next four years. Maintenance includes weeding, irrigation, fertilizing, pest management and mulching.
Future Installed Plant Cost $
Future Maintenance Cost + $
Plant Replacement Cost $
Restoration ***********************

The appraiser who worked up the number for the insurance company used trunk formula; i chose not to, because most of the trees imo were not losses. pm for more if you want.
 
"Here is the number of my consulting arborist friend :).

If you decide to proceed, please have the retainage ready for him.

That will be $__ for my visit today."

Time being our most valuable commodity.

I see some wild stuff all the time when it comes to this type of situation. There is a right way to approach and if you take the wrong one, your approach may land you defending in court. Sometimes even the right way ends you up there.

RCA wannabe :). Not that I want anything to do with appraisals ;) or court. It would be a perpetual upset stomach dealing with my two biggest PIA's - lawyers and insurance companies.
 
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