Tree Plant Appraisal Qualification?
- Thread starter Leafguy
- Start date
ATH
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Findlay, Ohio
What are your clients expectations?
I'd suggest a strong familiarity with the latest edition of the Guide for Plant Appraisal. That is where I started, and have just built on that. Of course there are other appraisal methods out there. If you decide it is most appropriate to use one of those, as long as you're confident and that decision and you think you can defend it if it comes into question, you can use that instead.
ASCA has their academy that teaches plant appraisal. My understanding is that is really focused on generating reports. I had thought about going to the academy last year as I could have stayed with relatives in the same town which would have saved lodging costs... I asked around, and couldn't find anybody trying to convince me to go.
Part of the reason I decided not to do the academy: I appraised some 30"+ DBH trees that removed from the backyard as part of a utility project. The company did not like my appraisal so they went and found somebody else to do one as well. That person has been credentialed through the academy. The report was, frankly, trash. Dozens of pages of irrelevant information. Other information was just flat out wrong. Other information was contrary to the advice of the Guide which is what he was claiming was the basis of his report (was not using one of the other appraisal systems). I'm not saying that is what ASCA teaches...but if they do, I don't need that.
Most appraisals we do are insurance claims. I don't hear back on all of those as I am writing the report for my client the tree owner with a damaged tree...but the fee I've heard back on said they paid the reported value. I've also done several for clients loosing trees to another utility... again, everything I've heard is that they pay the appraised value (plus my charges to the client).
I'm an ISA BCMA and an SAF Certified Forester. I'd think if you are providing quality information and are a Certified Arborist, most would accept your report.
I'd suggest a strong familiarity with the latest edition of the Guide for Plant Appraisal. That is where I started, and have just built on that. Of course there are other appraisal methods out there. If you decide it is most appropriate to use one of those, as long as you're confident and that decision and you think you can defend it if it comes into question, you can use that instead.
ASCA has their academy that teaches plant appraisal. My understanding is that is really focused on generating reports. I had thought about going to the academy last year as I could have stayed with relatives in the same town which would have saved lodging costs... I asked around, and couldn't find anybody trying to convince me to go.
Part of the reason I decided not to do the academy: I appraised some 30"+ DBH trees that removed from the backyard as part of a utility project. The company did not like my appraisal so they went and found somebody else to do one as well. That person has been credentialed through the academy. The report was, frankly, trash. Dozens of pages of irrelevant information. Other information was just flat out wrong. Other information was contrary to the advice of the Guide which is what he was claiming was the basis of his report (was not using one of the other appraisal systems). I'm not saying that is what ASCA teaches...but if they do, I don't need that.
Most appraisals we do are insurance claims. I don't hear back on all of those as I am writing the report for my client the tree owner with a damaged tree...but the fee I've heard back on said they paid the reported value. I've also done several for clients loosing trees to another utility... again, everything I've heard is that they pay the appraised value (plus my charges to the client).
I'm an ISA BCMA and an SAF Certified Forester. I'd think if you are providing quality information and are a Certified Arborist, most would accept your report.
- Location
- SF Bay Area
I agree that you can be effective at the appraisal process with experience, it's really about repetition and practice. It's also good to look up arborist reports with appraised values, like if you know if a city that requires appraisals to determine how to replace trees that are removed as part of construction projects, that's a good starting point to see where others are landing with their calculations. Ultimately I've found that arborists are all over the board with their numbers - I'm only talking about high level, good consultants but they ran the range of half to 1x to 2x my numbers. It's subjective, so as long as you can justify how you got there, the value is likely reasonable.
ATH, I think I commented on your posts re ASCA - the academy doesn't actually teach appraisals, I had to learn that on the job. That person might have read the books and misapplied them. I still recommend the academy though not RCA (though I'm considering RCA/ASCA membership purely for marketing purposes, I also hold the opinion that a lot of RCA reports are trash). I don't plan on doing TPAQ (ASCA's appraisal credential) as I see that as a money grab, but if you want to work in litigation it's a must. I was passed over for a litigation case on one of my projects because I didn't have the TPAQ credential and it looks better in court. I'm fine with that, since I avoid litigation work.
Nish
Branched out member
- Location
- North Carolina
The Guide scores highly in my list of least enjoyable arboricultural literature.
ATH
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Findlay, Ohio
I didn't say it was entertaining reading!
- Location
- Englewood
It is on hold pending an audit and review. There were many problems with the course and of course the ongoing controversy with the 10th edition of the Guide and how it was represented or mispresented within the educational context of the training, as well as if it was a "qualification" or just a class to educate. In other words, were people who completed the class QUALIFIED to appraise trees, most say No. ASCA is working on the audit/review/future of this qualification.
