Commercial Tree Health Assessments

What an assessment actually looks at

A health assessment works from the ground up, because the most serious problems are at the bottom of the tree and the most visible ones are at the top.

The root flare comes first. Where the trunk meets the ground should widen out. A trunk that goes into the soil like a post usually means the tree was planted too deep or has been buried by later grading, and that is a slow decline that ends in failure.

Then the trunk: cracks, seams, cavities, fungal bodies, and any area of bark that sounds hollow. Then the branch structure: attachments, dead wood, and evidence of previous poor cuts. Then the canopy, compared with what the species should look like and with the same tree in previous years.

1. Check the root flare and whether the trunk is buried
2. Inspect the trunk for cracks, cavities, and fungal fruiting bodies
3. Assess branch attachments and look for included bark
4. Note dead wood and its distribution through the canopy
5. Compare canopy density with the species norm and with prior records
6. Record findings with photographs and a location reference

The record is half the value

An assessment that produces a conversation is worth less than one that produces a document.

The document does two things. It gives you a baseline, so next year's assessment is a comparison rather than a fresh opinion. And it establishes that the tree was inspected and advised on, which matters a great deal if a failure is later questioned.

That record needs dates, photographs, a location reference for each tree, the condition noted, and the recommendation made. It also needs to say when the tree should be looked at again.

Kept year to year, it turns tree management from a series of reactions into something that can be budgeted.

An assessment that produces a conversation is worth less than one that produces a dated document with photographs.

How often

Annual assessment is the reasonable default for a commercial property with mature trees, and it can be lighter than people expect.

A walk of the property by somebody who knows what to look for, with notes and photographs on anything of concern, is usually a few hours. That is the version that catches problems while they are still pruning rather than removal.

Two situations justify more frequent looks. A tree already flagged for monitoring should be checked on whatever interval was recommended. And after any significant storm or wind event, trees over high value targets are worth a specific look, because failures often follow damage that was not visible from the ground.