tree report experience

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

You will find it a walk in the park Tony,

once I have enough people interested I will set up another course.

 

how many do we need gollum? i can get at least 1 my boss

 

and i know you, it will be a good course, dont go easy on me, test me!

[Paul Barton]

Treelife will run a course on a date to suit you if there are enough takers.

 

I'm not planning on organising another any time soon - lots of people on here said they were keen as mustard but then failed to actually book up which was a shame.

[Gollum]

Minimum of 6

Duration 3 Days including Assessment.

Total cost including Lantra ITA Assessment & VAT is £411.05

[treeseer]

...I'm getting the feeling this is just so the landowner can use us as the scapegoat if there is an incident.

They obviously need species & condition report plus recommendations..

Not so obviously imho!! Recommendations are a primary pitfall point and worth a rethink. Much better just to specify potential treatments and keep the decision ball in the owner's court. This from the last issue of ISA/UK&I Treeline's very general article on report writing. i thought it worthwhile but confess to some bias.

 

To simplify this most difficult task, it may be good to set aside factors that are not always in the assignment:

 

Budget is the clients’ concern; they determine what is reasonable to spend on their report and on their tree. If they ask for an estimate, carefully count all the hours needed to complete the job, but don’t provide a number until you both agree on the scope of work. If they don’t ask, there is no need to limit the job by voluntarily offering them an estimate. Allow the job to develop, providing periodic, often weekly, updates and invoices. If their budget has limits, your report will too.

 

Limitations are an essential ingredient in every report. The process of determining what you can do starts with determining what you cannot do. List everything that may keep you from doing a better job—lack of time, money, equipment, information, expertise, and other resources all can hinder your performance. Your clients need to know this. Disclosing your limitations keeps you from being held responsible for any deficiencies that may be found in your report, and also keeps you from trying to do too much with too little.

 

Recommendations are optional, according to the A Consultant’s Guide to Writing Effective Reports. When clients need information on clear tasks like pest control or pruning or root invigoration, you meet that need by listing practical management options, often in a table. Then the clients can choose which treatments to budget for. Sometimes clients want similarly specific directions on managing more complex issues, like managing the risk and benefits associated with large old trees, but don’t want to pay for the work needed to give them the details they ask for.

 

Clarify what is needed. Your clients can understand that information is the goal, and they only need to learn about practical management options. Decisions on which actions to take remain with the tree owner, unless you decide that there are adequate resources to take on that responsibility, and is prepared to accept it. Clients do not get what they paid for when resources are lacking to make defendable`` recommendations. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver!

[likeitorlumpit]

I run the basic and professional tree inspection courses in Kent if that's any help.

If you're interested likeitorlumpit you can come and join me for a day, I've got a lot of inspections to do / reports

 

I would be very interested. When would you be able to do this

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Hi all,

 

Just to add my/our 'ten penneth' if I may.

 

We run the 2 day 'Arb Consultancy' course, delivered by Jeremy Barrell and Jim Quaife, which includes detailed report writing

see Arboricultural Consultancy

 

Regarding Treelife course, I haven't done it BUT I have done the PD Arb with Dave and the session on reports was very good and very thorough and involved much 'red pen' (ha!)

 

Re the PTI, which we also deliver, whilst it's an excellent course, and essentially an opportunity to demonstrate competence at detailed tree inspections, including recorded of relevant information, via an auditable assessment process, it doesn't really cover report writing as such:

see Professional Tree Inspection 3 Day Course (Gollum this event is in Somerset so hoepfully no conflict.)

 

Hope the above of interest.

 

Cheers..

Paul