QTRA users...

[sloth]

Hi all,

I have a few questions concerning QTRA. (This is not intended to be a which system is best thread!)

I'm curious:

1. How many people use QTRA?

2. If you are trained in QTRA do you use it by default on safety surveys, or only when it is requested?

3. How does it fare/work when used with handheld data capture software, in particular the Pear Technology software? I notice it has a drop down box for a QTRA score, how does this work once imported into the Treeminder 'report maker'?

Thanks in advance, Kevin

[sloth]

Anybody?

[Adam M]

hi,

I'm not currently a qtra user but am doing the training next month. my boss and another colleague are although now I'm there they no longer do surveys themselves so wouldn't say they are current users.

I.understand that I won't be using it for every tree, but will be using where there are grey areas perhaps involving lower frequency use vs large diameter deadwood, if you get what I mean (can't quite put to words what I mean by this). I guess it will back me up when I'm speccing potentially controversial work. while I'm doing the training I'm not entirely convinced by it and after looking at the THREATS methodology and recording form, I would much rather be using that. one thing I hope to do once qtra trained is to compare the application of this and THREATS to see how zoning compares and which one is the most cautious. sorry can't help anymore than that.

[Paul Barton]

Did the training a few years ago but have never really used it. I may do a refresher and renew my license some time though as some contracts request it. I gather the recent updates to the system are significant so am interested to hear what they are.

[sloth]

Thanks for the replies, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts after the training/refresher. What type of contracts have you seen it specified? It seems not a great many people are licensed...

[ScottF]

I'm sure I'm like many others- if a client specifies or asks for it in a contract which I wanted I'd do it. I did the training in 2007, which was delivered by Mike Ellison and was very interesting but since then I've only had one tender which asked for it. The tender in question was put out last year but I didn't go for due to issues with the specification, in my view.

 

QTRA has come in for a bit of a battering in the literature and in conference speeches in the last year or two, some fair, some less so. I admire what Mike's trying to do with it, and I might do the refresher this year because it is an interesting approach and is fairly good value for money, but I'm not sure I'd be out evangelising about it to clients or anything. I's also be interested to hear how the course has changed since I did mine.