Specifications
Updated by Len Phillips January 2021
You may go directly to the Specification section by clicking on the title below.
Updated by Len Phillips January 2021
You may go directly to the Specification section by clicking on the title below.
Note: Click on green text in each section for more information and photos.
Soil Specification for Urban Tree Installations
by Len Phillips
Global warming has started and one way that arborists can help modify the problem is to plant as many trees as possible. When installing trees in an urban landscape such as a plaza, beside a sidewalk, in the street median or any other location where the disturbed soil will not support plant growth, it is important that area for growing trees be staked out prior to any heavy equipment entering the work area. This area shall be declared on the plans and specifications that all vehicles and construction equipment be prohibited from driving over this area. The uncompacted existing soil will provide excellent soil for the future growth of all trees and other plant material. The two exceptions to this requirement will be the equipment specifically involved with the installation of the plant material, after pavement work has been completed. This requirement may also be negated if the installation of soil cells will be required for the tree planting and root growing areas as specified by the soil cell company requirements.
If the existing soil has been destroyed previous to the approval of this specification on the project site the following guidelines will be required for the mixing of a soil that will promote growth of most woody landscape plants. This soil is also suitable for the installation in new planting locations in suburban areas, but is not intended for roof top gardens.
Soil Volume Requirements
The amount of soil available will in large part determine the maximum size that the tree will achieve during its growing life span. To determine soil volume required, a tree will need about 5 square feet (0.45 s. meters), 3 feet (1 m.) deep of soil area for each square inch (6.5 s.cm.) of trunk diameter or 15 cubic ft. (4.3 cubic m.) that the tree is anticipated to be at its maximum size. In the urban environment, the essential soil area may need to come from the tree lawn between the street and the sidewalk as well as under and beyond the sidewalk toward private property where there may be better soil.
Soil Depth
Tree roots will seldom grow deeper than 3 feet (1 m). To allow trees to grow to their full potential, the soil must be composed of topsoil and installed in layers. A subsoil mix should be installed first if the planting site is deeper than 3 feet and this should be covered with the topsoil mix. When installing layers, the base soil surface should be tilled or scarified with the teeth of an excavator bucket initially to break up any compaction that is there. Then the topsoil is installed in three or four lifts or layers of less than 12 inches (30 cm) each.
Soil Mix
The top soil may be from either a naturally occurring topsoil or soil that has been mixed to achieve the following specification. Both the top and subsoil should be a sandy loam soil with 50-80% medium and coarse sand (less than 25% fine sand), 5-20% clay, 5-35% silt, compost, or leaf mold.
Stones and Rocks
No stones larger than 1 inch (2.5 cm) in the longest dimension should be permitted. Stones ranging from ½ to 1 inch (1.25 to 2.5 cm) should not exceed 5% of the soil volume, and gravel or coarse sand should not exceed 5% of the soil volume.
Debris Content
Debris is defined as fragments of brick, concrete, wood, glass, metal, stone and plastic greater than 1 inch in the longest dimension. This debris provides no benefit for tree growth. The total volume of debris less than 1 inch long should not be more than 5% of the total soil mix volume.
Contaminants
The soil should have no herbicides, heavy metals, biological toxins, or hydrocarbons that will impact plant growth or are at levels exceeding the EPA’s standards for soil contaminants.
Clod Size
Mixed soils often contain soil clods with a high clay content. Smaller soil peds or lumps that are less than 1 inch long are desirable from a soil drainage perspective and there is no limit on the amount of these small peds contained in the soil mix. Clods from 1-3 inches (2.5-7.5 cm) should make up less than 10% of the soil volume and clods 3-6 inch (7.5-15 cm) should be less than 5%.
Organic Matter Content
Organic matter (OM) is important for retaining water, maintaining stable soil aggregates, promoting biological diversity and providing nutrients for tree growth. The top soil shall have 4-6% OM by weight. If additional organic matter is needed, compost can be added to the soil. A well composted leaf mold, yard waste, or wood chip compost can be used as long as there is no more than 10% OM by volume in the top soil. No soil mix should contain more than 10% compost by volume so as to avoid settling or subsidence problems. Subsoil should have between 1-3% OM, but higher levels are not detrimental.
Density
Soil density needs to be high enough to avoid settling, yet low enough to allow root growth. Top soil should have a density of 1.0 to 1.4 g/cc and subsoil 1.2 to 1.5 g/cc. A vibrating plate compactor may be used between lifts to settle the soil, but only if the engineer on the job demands it.
Drainage
Water should readily drain from the soil. Percolation rates of 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) per hour are preferred, if irrigation will be installed during the tree installation process. A drainage system should be installed if the native subsoil has a drainage rate less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) per hour. Corrugated, slotted pipe should be used for drainage. Slots must only be on the bottom half of the pipe. If pipe has slots on the top, plastic sheeting should be taped to the top to keep soil particles from dropping into the pipe.
The drain pipe should be surrounded with coarse sand and should not be wrapped with filter fabric to avoid future clogging problems. The coarse sand trench should be at least 12 inches (30 cm) wide and 10 inches (25 cm) deep, with the pipe in the center. The pipe must go downhill to an appropriate drainage area or municipal stormwater drain system.
If the tree installation is occurring in conjunction with a street drainage improvement project, perforated pipe between the street drain and the planting pit will allow the tree to be watered with street runoff water. A second perforated pipe should be installed near the bottom of the tree pit to collect surplus water and that pipe should be connected to the municipal storm drain or an appropriate drainage area. This process will also clean the street drainage water as it passes through the planting soil.
Soil pH
Soil pH determines the availability of nutrients in the soil. The exact pH range is dependent on the tree species to be planted. Generally, the most desirable pH range is 5.5-6.6 in humid regions (eastern and southern North America, western OR, WA and BC) and 6.0 to 7.4 in arid regions (TX, AZ, and CA). Optimal pH is highly dependent on the tree species to be planted and should be tested and adjusted based on species, prior to planting.
Nutrients
Plant-available nutrients should be tested prior to soil installation. If they are found to be at levels that are listed as “medium” or less on the soil analysis report, the soil should be amended with the appropriate fertilizers. If nitrogen is required, the nitrogen fertilizer shall contain at least 50% of the total N applied in a water insoluble (WIN) form.
Soluble Salt
Soluble salt content shall be less than 2 dS/m. High salt levels can be fatal to most trees and shrubs.
Water
Water is an essential component of keeping new transplants alive and thriving. Soil moisture should be monitored regularly and irrigation applied when needed to assure adequate moisture. Excess irrigation can also harm plants so over irrigation should be avoided. Installation of soil moisture sensors at the time of soil installation is highly recommended.
Pests
With any new planting, the trees and soil moisture should be monitored regularly. Pests can do serious damage to new transplants and are most easily managed before populations build to damaging levels. An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program is an effective means for protecting new transplants.
Source
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or 0.25 CEUs toward BCMA science and 0.25 CEUs toward BCMA practice credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
by Len Phillips
Global warming has started and one way that arborists can help modify the problem is to plant as many trees as possible. When installing trees in an urban landscape such as a plaza, beside a sidewalk, in the street median or any other location where the disturbed soil will not support plant growth, it is important that area for growing trees be staked out prior to any heavy equipment entering the work area. This area shall be declared on the plans and specifications that all vehicles and construction equipment be prohibited from driving over this area. The uncompacted existing soil will provide excellent soil for the future growth of all trees and other plant material. The two exceptions to this requirement will be the equipment specifically involved with the installation of the plant material, after pavement work has been completed. This requirement may also be negated if the installation of soil cells will be required for the tree planting and root growing areas as specified by the soil cell company requirements.
If the existing soil has been destroyed previous to the approval of this specification on the project site the following guidelines will be required for the mixing of a soil that will promote growth of most woody landscape plants. This soil is also suitable for the installation in new planting locations in suburban areas, but is not intended for roof top gardens.
Soil Volume Requirements
The amount of soil available will in large part determine the maximum size that the tree will achieve during its growing life span. To determine soil volume required, a tree will need about 5 square feet (0.45 s. meters), 3 feet (1 m.) deep of soil area for each square inch (6.5 s.cm.) of trunk diameter or 15 cubic ft. (4.3 cubic m.) that the tree is anticipated to be at its maximum size. In the urban environment, the essential soil area may need to come from the tree lawn between the street and the sidewalk as well as under and beyond the sidewalk toward private property where there may be better soil.
Soil Depth
Tree roots will seldom grow deeper than 3 feet (1 m). To allow trees to grow to their full potential, the soil must be composed of topsoil and installed in layers. A subsoil mix should be installed first if the planting site is deeper than 3 feet and this should be covered with the topsoil mix. When installing layers, the base soil surface should be tilled or scarified with the teeth of an excavator bucket initially to break up any compaction that is there. Then the topsoil is installed in three or four lifts or layers of less than 12 inches (30 cm) each.
Soil Mix
The top soil may be from either a naturally occurring topsoil or soil that has been mixed to achieve the following specification. Both the top and subsoil should be a sandy loam soil with 50-80% medium and coarse sand (less than 25% fine sand), 5-20% clay, 5-35% silt, compost, or leaf mold.
Stones and Rocks
No stones larger than 1 inch (2.5 cm) in the longest dimension should be permitted. Stones ranging from ½ to 1 inch (1.25 to 2.5 cm) should not exceed 5% of the soil volume, and gravel or coarse sand should not exceed 5% of the soil volume.
Debris Content
Debris is defined as fragments of brick, concrete, wood, glass, metal, stone and plastic greater than 1 inch in the longest dimension. This debris provides no benefit for tree growth. The total volume of debris less than 1 inch long should not be more than 5% of the total soil mix volume.
Contaminants
The soil should have no herbicides, heavy metals, biological toxins, or hydrocarbons that will impact plant growth or are at levels exceeding the EPA’s standards for soil contaminants.
Clod Size
Mixed soils often contain soil clods with a high clay content. Smaller soil peds or lumps that are less than 1 inch long are desirable from a soil drainage perspective and there is no limit on the amount of these small peds contained in the soil mix. Clods from 1-3 inches (2.5-7.5 cm) should make up less than 10% of the soil volume and clods 3-6 inch (7.5-15 cm) should be less than 5%.
Organic Matter Content
Organic matter (OM) is important for retaining water, maintaining stable soil aggregates, promoting biological diversity and providing nutrients for tree growth. The top soil shall have 4-6% OM by weight. If additional organic matter is needed, compost can be added to the soil. A well composted leaf mold, yard waste, or wood chip compost can be used as long as there is no more than 10% OM by volume in the top soil. No soil mix should contain more than 10% compost by volume so as to avoid settling or subsidence problems. Subsoil should have between 1-3% OM, but higher levels are not detrimental.
Density
Soil density needs to be high enough to avoid settling, yet low enough to allow root growth. Top soil should have a density of 1.0 to 1.4 g/cc and subsoil 1.2 to 1.5 g/cc. A vibrating plate compactor may be used between lifts to settle the soil, but only if the engineer on the job demands it.
Drainage
Water should readily drain from the soil. Percolation rates of 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) per hour are preferred, if irrigation will be installed during the tree installation process. A drainage system should be installed if the native subsoil has a drainage rate less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) per hour. Corrugated, slotted pipe should be used for drainage. Slots must only be on the bottom half of the pipe. If pipe has slots on the top, plastic sheeting should be taped to the top to keep soil particles from dropping into the pipe.
The drain pipe should be surrounded with coarse sand and should not be wrapped with filter fabric to avoid future clogging problems. The coarse sand trench should be at least 12 inches (30 cm) wide and 10 inches (25 cm) deep, with the pipe in the center. The pipe must go downhill to an appropriate drainage area or municipal stormwater drain system.
If the tree installation is occurring in conjunction with a street drainage improvement project, perforated pipe between the street drain and the planting pit will allow the tree to be watered with street runoff water. A second perforated pipe should be installed near the bottom of the tree pit to collect surplus water and that pipe should be connected to the municipal storm drain or an appropriate drainage area. This process will also clean the street drainage water as it passes through the planting soil.
Soil pH
Soil pH determines the availability of nutrients in the soil. The exact pH range is dependent on the tree species to be planted. Generally, the most desirable pH range is 5.5-6.6 in humid regions (eastern and southern North America, western OR, WA and BC) and 6.0 to 7.4 in arid regions (TX, AZ, and CA). Optimal pH is highly dependent on the tree species to be planted and should be tested and adjusted based on species, prior to planting.
Nutrients
Plant-available nutrients should be tested prior to soil installation. If they are found to be at levels that are listed as “medium” or less on the soil analysis report, the soil should be amended with the appropriate fertilizers. If nitrogen is required, the nitrogen fertilizer shall contain at least 50% of the total N applied in a water insoluble (WIN) form.
Soluble Salt
Soluble salt content shall be less than 2 dS/m. High salt levels can be fatal to most trees and shrubs.
Water
Water is an essential component of keeping new transplants alive and thriving. Soil moisture should be monitored regularly and irrigation applied when needed to assure adequate moisture. Excess irrigation can also harm plants so over irrigation should be avoided. Installation of soil moisture sensors at the time of soil installation is highly recommended.
Pests
With any new planting, the trees and soil moisture should be monitored regularly. Pests can do serious damage to new transplants and are most easily managed before populations build to damaging levels. An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program is an effective means for protecting new transplants.
Source
- Smiley, E. Thomas, PhD, “Soil for Urban Tree Planting”, Bartlett Research Laboratory Technical Report
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or 0.25 CEUs toward BCMA science and 0.25 CEUs toward BCMA practice credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
SPECIFICATIONS FOR SOIL CELLS
By Len Phillips
SOIL CELLS
Soil cells are a load bearing, engineered plastic, structural cellular system with vertical interlocks designed to assemble together to create a matrix under pavements. The interconnected skeletal matrix shall provide void space to accommodate filling with installation soil for tree rooting and/or storing storm water while supporting vehicle loaded pavements at the surface. Soil cells are used in conjunction with other materials including, but not limited to geotextile fabric, geogrid, aggregate, sub-base material, backfill, root barriers, and installation soil.
By Len Phillips
SOIL CELLS
Soil cells are a load bearing, engineered plastic, structural cellular system with vertical interlocks designed to assemble together to create a matrix under pavements. The interconnected skeletal matrix shall provide void space to accommodate filling with installation soil for tree rooting and/or storing storm water while supporting vehicle loaded pavements at the surface. Soil cells are used in conjunction with other materials including, but not limited to geotextile fabric, geogrid, aggregate, sub-base material, backfill, root barriers, and installation soil.
PRODUCTS
- Soil Cells: Soil cells shall be able capable of being filled with a variety of soil types created for the purpose of growing healthy trees and providing stormwater management. They shall be modular, structural systems. Each cell shall be structurally-independent and shall accommodate utilities, stormwater and other site features at a new tree installation site. The cells shall be capable of supporting loads up to and including AASHTO H-20 (United States) or CSA-S6 87.5 kN (Canada) when used in conjunction with approved pavement profiles. The cells shall be capable of providing a large volume of planting soil that does not inhibit or prevent the placement and compaction of planting soil, nor the movement and growth of roots. The cells will allow the movement of water within the provided soil volume, including lateral capillary movement.
- Lateral Piping System: A perforated piping system may be used for the circulation of air and distribution of water and nutrients, connected to a surface inlet at street level or near the bottom of a catch basin and an under-drain connected to the City’s stormwater sewer system.
- Vertical Piping System: A large diameter plastic pipe system may be installed for inspection, circulation of air and connected to a surface inlet.
- Root and Moisture Barrier: A linear membrane may be installed to prevent root and moisture penetration at certain specified locations.
- Root Barrier: Linear root barriers shall be installed with vertical integral root training ribs at specified locations, usually near the tree trunk and at the soil surface.
- Installation Soil: A correctly balanced unscreened soil mix shall provide optimum growth conditions for tree roots within the soil cell matrix and stormwater management area as needed.
- Geo-composite or geo-grid: The high strength fabric may be wrapped around the system vertically, which allows the tree roots to extend beyond the edge of the soil cell system.
- Tree Pit Opening: A pavement opening shall be provided within which a tree is installed.
- Tree Pit: The excavated space shall be filled with appropriate soil media for tree installation.
INSTALLATION
- Pre-installation meeting: Prior to installation of the soil cell system, a meeting shall be held at the project site with the general contractor, soil cell system installer, soil cell manufacturer's technical representative, the city's representative, and other entities concerned with the soil cell performance. The meeting agenda will include all required submittals, the sequence of installation and the construction schedule, the coordination with others, and the procedures, details, and methods of installation.
- Product Data: For each type of product, the manufacturer's product literature shall be submitted with technical data sufficient to demonstrate that the product meets these specifications.
- Test and Evaluation Reports: The results of compaction testing shall be submitted to all parties involved with this project.
- Manufacturer's Report: Submit the manufacturer's letter of review and approval of the project, including drawings and specifications.
- Installer: The work shall be performed by an experienced installer with a successful track record in performing work of the same scope and quality as required by these specifications.
- Bulk Materials: Do not deliver or place backfill, soils, or soil amendments in frozen, wet, or muddy conditions. Before proceeding with full scale excavation work, confirm the existing soil quality and condition. Also determine the drainage characteristics of the existing soil.
- Soil cell installation: The soil cell system components shall be protected from damage during delivery, storage and handling. They shall be installed by the appropriate installer in strict accordance with manufacturer’s written instructions and installation diagrams, the manufacturer's representative, and procedures required by the manufacturer. The installer shall ensure that the modules in contact with granular base course are firmly seated, with no rocking. The installer shall ensure that the modules are mechanically interconnected. All dimensions, quantities, and grade elevations shall be checked and verified. If required, install root barriers as shown on the drawings. Verify the location of above and below ground utility lines, infrastructure, other improvements, and existing trees, shrubs, and plants to remain including their root systems. In addition, refer to manufacturer’s installation materials to ensure safe and proper installation of the system.
- Conflicts: If conflicts arise during installation, stop work and notify all the entities involved in the project, in writing, of the problem, and make recommendations for action. Proceed with work only when action is approved in writing.
CLEAN UP
The general contractor shall perform clean up during installation and upon completion of each phase of the work. Maintain the site free of soil, sediment, trash and debris. Remove excess soil materials, debris, and equipment from the site following completion of each phase of the work. Repair damage to adjacent materials and surfaces resulting from installation of this work using mechanics skilled in remedial work of the construction type and trades affected.
Installation Soil and Bioretention Installation Soil Specifications are available in the TREE INSTALLATION SPECIFICATION.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the .5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
The general contractor shall perform clean up during installation and upon completion of each phase of the work. Maintain the site free of soil, sediment, trash and debris. Remove excess soil materials, debris, and equipment from the site following completion of each phase of the work. Repair damage to adjacent materials and surfaces resulting from installation of this work using mechanics skilled in remedial work of the construction type and trades affected.
Installation Soil and Bioretention Installation Soil Specifications are available in the TREE INSTALLATION SPECIFICATION.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the .5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
SPECIFICATIONS FOR QUALITY NURSERY TREES
By Gordon Mann, Jay Banks, and Len Phillips
The following document is a specification that purchasers of trees should use to ensure a top quality product. This specification can be copied and pasted into your bid documents or quote sheets. You may also modify this specification to meet your local needs that might be different from what this specification requires. For those purchasers using preferred nurseries, send them a copy of this specification and put them on notice that in "X" number of years (one to three), you will be using this specification to purchase trees. You want them to be in compliance with this specification, so you will be able to continue ordering trees from them.
This document is intended to provide specifications for quality nursery trees. Key traits of nursery trees are identified and described to provide growers and buyers with the information they need to distinguish acceptable quality stock from unacceptable stock. Structural and health characteristics are described, as well as labeling, compliance with laws and regulations, and inspection of nursery stock. If a particular defect or substandard element can be corrected easily, appropriate remedies shall be performed prior to accepting delivery. Unacceptable trees will contain defects and substandard elements that cannot be easily corrected.
I. GLOSSARY:
ANSI: American National Standards Institute. Z60.1 is the national standard for nursery stock. It is also
called the American Standard for Nursery Stock.
Caliper: Trunk diameter is measured 6 inches (15 cm) above the flare; if the caliper is greater than 4
inches (10 cm), the measurement is taken at 12 inches (30 cm) above the flare.
Central leader: also referred to as the dominant leader. A continuation of the main trunk located more or
less in the center of the crown, beginning at the lowest main scaffold branch and extending to the top of
the tree.
Circling root(s): One or more roots whose diameter is greater than 10% of the trunk caliper circling more than one-third of the trunk. Circling roots are unacceptable.
Clear trunk: The portion of the trunk below the main crown which may include shortened temporary
branches.
Co-dominant: Two or more vigorous, upright branches or stems of relatively equal diameter that originate from a common point, usually where the leader was lost or removed. Co-dominant stems are unacceptable.
Crown: The portion of a tree beginning at the lowest main scaffold branch extending to the top of the tree. On younger trees, the crown may be comprised of temporary branches.
Cultivar: A named plant selection from which identical or nearly identical plants can be produced, usually by grafting, vegetative propagation, or cloning.
Flare: Also referred to as the root flare, trunk flare, or root crown. The base of a tree where the trunk flares out to meet the main roots.
Included bark: Bark embedded in the union between a branch and the trunk or between two or more stems that prevents the formation of a normal branch bark ridge. Included bark is unacceptable.
Kinked root: A main root that is sharply bent. Kinked roots are unacceptable.
Scaffold branches: Large main branches that form the main structure of the crown.
Stem-girdling root: A circling, bent, or straight root that touches or rests on the trunk or root flare that can become a permanent root. Stem-girdling roots are unacceptable.
Temporary branch: A small branch that is temporarily retained along the lower trunk of young trees.
Trunk: The main stem of a tree, beginning at the flare and ending at the lowest main scaffold branch.
Taper: The thickening of a trunk or branch toward its base.
II. GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
A. Proper Identification: All trees shall be true to name as ordered or shown on planting plans and shall
be labeled individually or in groups by species and cultivar (as appropriate).
B. Compliance: All trees shall comply with federal and state laws and regulations requiring inspection for plant diseases, pests, and weeds. Inspection certificates required by law shall accompany each
shipment of plants. Clearance from the local county agricultural commissioner, if required, shall be
obtained before installing trees originating outside the county in which they are to be installed. Even
though trees may conform to county, state, and federal laws, the buyer may impose additional
requirements that pertain to local issues.
III. TREE SPECIFICATIONS
These specifications shall apply to deciduous, broadleaf evergreen, and coniferous tree species. They do not apply to palms. Note that leaf characteristics will not be evident on deciduous trees during the
dormant season.
A. Crown: The form and density of the crown shall be typical for a young specimen of the species/cultivar. Changes in form caused by wind, pruning practices, pests, or other factors shall not substantially alter
the form for the species/cultivar. These crown specifications do not apply to plants that have been
specifically trained in the nursery to be: topiary, espalier, multi-stem, or clump; or unique selections such
as contorted or weeping cultivars.
1. Trees shall have a single, relatively straight trunk, and central leader. They shall be free of co-
dominant stems and vigorous, upright branches that compete with the central leader. If the original
leader has been headed, the new leader shall be at least one-half of the diameter of the original
leader.
2. Main branches shall be well-distributed along the central leader, not clustered together. They shall
form a balanced crown appropriate for the age of the species/cultivar.
3. Branch diameter shall be no larger than two-thirds (one-half is preferred) the diameter of the central leader measured 1 inch (2.5 cm) above where the branch is attached.
4. The attachment of the largest scaffold branches shall be free of included bark.
5. Temporary branches, unless otherwise specified, should be present along the lower trunk below the lowest scaffold branch, particularly for trees less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) in caliper. These branches
should be no greater than 3/8 inch (1 cm) diameter. Clear trunk shall be no more than 30% of the
total height of the tree.
B. Trunk: The tree trunk shall be relatively straight, vertical, and free of wounds, except properly made pruning cuts, which shall be closed over or less than 3/4 inch (2 cm) diameter open, sunburned areas, conks (fungal fruiting bodies), wood cracks, bleeding areas, signs of boring insects, galls, cankers, stem-girdling ties, or lesions (mechanical injury).
1. Trunk caliper and taper shall be sufficient so that the tree will remain vertical without a stake. Trunk caliper at 6 inches (15 cm) above the soil media (substrate) surface shall be within the diameter range shown for each container size below and as specified in current edition of ANSI Z60.1.
For example:
Container Size Trunk Diameter
#5........................0.5" to 0.75" (1.2 to 2 cm)
#15......................0.75" to 1.5" (2 to 4 cm)
24" box................1.5" to 2.5" (4 to 6.5 cm)
2. The cut made when re-growing the top should be just above the major structural roots. The "shank" that results from this procedure should be at a consistent height above the structural roots and no longer than 5" (12 cm), to ensure that the trees are consistently planted at the correct depth. The base of the trunk should not have a large pruning cut from re-growing the top.
C. Roots: The root system shall be substantially free of injury from biotic (e. g., insects and pathogens)
and abiotic (e. g., herbicide toxicity and salt injury) agents.
1. The flare shall be within the upper inch (2.5 cm) of the soil media (substrate). Depth of the root-ball shall be measured from the top of the ball, which in all cases shall begin at the flare. Soil above the flare shall not be included in the root-ball depth measurement, and shall be removed before
determining the flare.
2. The flare and the inside portion of the root-ball shall be free of defects, including circling, kinked, and stem-girdling roots. Soil removal or root washing near the flare may be necessary to inspect for the aforementioned root defects.
3. Roots on the periphery and bottom of the root-ball shall be less than 1/4 inch (.65 cm) in diameter
while 1/8 inch (.3 cm) is preferred.
4. The tree shall be well rooted in the soil media (substrate). Root distribution shall be uniform
throughout the soil or media. Structure and growth shall be appropriate for the species/cultivar.
When the burlap or container is removed, the root-ball shall remain intact. When the trunk is lifted
both the trunk and root system shall move as one.
5. Trees should have several lateral roots or many fibrous roots spaced evenly around the trunk to
provide support so the trees are stable when installed. Trees should have as many small roots as
possible. These roots are key to the uptake of sufficient water and nutrients. Fibrous roots can be
achieved by root-pruning, using air-pruning containers, or under-cutting or root pruning and
transplanting at any stage of production.
6. As a general rule for young nursery-grown trees, there should be two or more structural roots within 1 - 3 inches (2.5 - 7.5 cm) of the soil surface. "First order lateral roots" is another term that has been used for these roots. If the roots are deeper than 3 inches (7.5 cm), the stock shall be rejected. If
the root-ball is undersized as specified in current edition of ANSI Z60.1, the stock shall be rejected.
7. Field grown trees for balled and burlap delivery shall have the roots pruned at least six inches inside the final root-ball size performed within adequate time for the tree to develop fibrous roots at the
outer edge of the root-ball prior to harvest and delivery.
D. Leaves: The size, color, and appearance of leaves shall be typical for the time of year and stage of growth of the species or cultivar. Trees shall not show signs of prolonged moisture stress as indicated
by wilted, shriveled, or dead leaves.
E. Branches: Shoot growth (length and diameter) throughout the crown shall be appropriate for the age
and size of the species/cultivar. Trees shall not have dead, diseased, broken, distorted, or otherwise
injured branches.
IV. INSPECTION
The buyer reserves the right to reject trees that do not meet these specifications as adopted by the buyer. If
a particular defect or substandard element or characteristic can be easily corrected, appropriate remedies
shall be performed by the nursery to move the plants into compliance. If destructive inspection of a root-ball
or balls is to be done, the buyer and seller shall have an agreement as to the time and place of inspection, number or percent of trees or species/cultivar to be inspected, care of acceptable trees following inspection, and financial responsibility for the acceptable inspected trees.
At the time of inspection and delivery, the root-ball shall be moist throughout. If in leaf, the crown shall show no signs of moisture stress or branch dieback. The roots shall show no signs of excess soil moisture as indicated by poor root growth, root discoloration, distortion, death, or foul odor.
V. DELIVERY
The buyer shall stipulate the date of requested delivery. The nursery shall stipulate how many days prior to delivery that notification must be received, and any special considerations for care between requested delivery date and installation.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the .5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
By Gordon Mann, Jay Banks, and Len Phillips
The following document is a specification that purchasers of trees should use to ensure a top quality product. This specification can be copied and pasted into your bid documents or quote sheets. You may also modify this specification to meet your local needs that might be different from what this specification requires. For those purchasers using preferred nurseries, send them a copy of this specification and put them on notice that in "X" number of years (one to three), you will be using this specification to purchase trees. You want them to be in compliance with this specification, so you will be able to continue ordering trees from them.
This document is intended to provide specifications for quality nursery trees. Key traits of nursery trees are identified and described to provide growers and buyers with the information they need to distinguish acceptable quality stock from unacceptable stock. Structural and health characteristics are described, as well as labeling, compliance with laws and regulations, and inspection of nursery stock. If a particular defect or substandard element can be corrected easily, appropriate remedies shall be performed prior to accepting delivery. Unacceptable trees will contain defects and substandard elements that cannot be easily corrected.
I. GLOSSARY:
ANSI: American National Standards Institute. Z60.1 is the national standard for nursery stock. It is also
called the American Standard for Nursery Stock.
Caliper: Trunk diameter is measured 6 inches (15 cm) above the flare; if the caliper is greater than 4
inches (10 cm), the measurement is taken at 12 inches (30 cm) above the flare.
Central leader: also referred to as the dominant leader. A continuation of the main trunk located more or
less in the center of the crown, beginning at the lowest main scaffold branch and extending to the top of
the tree.
Circling root(s): One or more roots whose diameter is greater than 10% of the trunk caliper circling more than one-third of the trunk. Circling roots are unacceptable.
Clear trunk: The portion of the trunk below the main crown which may include shortened temporary
branches.
Co-dominant: Two or more vigorous, upright branches or stems of relatively equal diameter that originate from a common point, usually where the leader was lost or removed. Co-dominant stems are unacceptable.
Crown: The portion of a tree beginning at the lowest main scaffold branch extending to the top of the tree. On younger trees, the crown may be comprised of temporary branches.
Cultivar: A named plant selection from which identical or nearly identical plants can be produced, usually by grafting, vegetative propagation, or cloning.
Flare: Also referred to as the root flare, trunk flare, or root crown. The base of a tree where the trunk flares out to meet the main roots.
Included bark: Bark embedded in the union between a branch and the trunk or between two or more stems that prevents the formation of a normal branch bark ridge. Included bark is unacceptable.
Kinked root: A main root that is sharply bent. Kinked roots are unacceptable.
Scaffold branches: Large main branches that form the main structure of the crown.
Stem-girdling root: A circling, bent, or straight root that touches or rests on the trunk or root flare that can become a permanent root. Stem-girdling roots are unacceptable.
Temporary branch: A small branch that is temporarily retained along the lower trunk of young trees.
Trunk: The main stem of a tree, beginning at the flare and ending at the lowest main scaffold branch.
Taper: The thickening of a trunk or branch toward its base.
II. GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
A. Proper Identification: All trees shall be true to name as ordered or shown on planting plans and shall
be labeled individually or in groups by species and cultivar (as appropriate).
B. Compliance: All trees shall comply with federal and state laws and regulations requiring inspection for plant diseases, pests, and weeds. Inspection certificates required by law shall accompany each
shipment of plants. Clearance from the local county agricultural commissioner, if required, shall be
obtained before installing trees originating outside the county in which they are to be installed. Even
though trees may conform to county, state, and federal laws, the buyer may impose additional
requirements that pertain to local issues.
III. TREE SPECIFICATIONS
These specifications shall apply to deciduous, broadleaf evergreen, and coniferous tree species. They do not apply to palms. Note that leaf characteristics will not be evident on deciduous trees during the
dormant season.
A. Crown: The form and density of the crown shall be typical for a young specimen of the species/cultivar. Changes in form caused by wind, pruning practices, pests, or other factors shall not substantially alter
the form for the species/cultivar. These crown specifications do not apply to plants that have been
specifically trained in the nursery to be: topiary, espalier, multi-stem, or clump; or unique selections such
as contorted or weeping cultivars.
1. Trees shall have a single, relatively straight trunk, and central leader. They shall be free of co-
dominant stems and vigorous, upright branches that compete with the central leader. If the original
leader has been headed, the new leader shall be at least one-half of the diameter of the original
leader.
2. Main branches shall be well-distributed along the central leader, not clustered together. They shall
form a balanced crown appropriate for the age of the species/cultivar.
3. Branch diameter shall be no larger than two-thirds (one-half is preferred) the diameter of the central leader measured 1 inch (2.5 cm) above where the branch is attached.
4. The attachment of the largest scaffold branches shall be free of included bark.
5. Temporary branches, unless otherwise specified, should be present along the lower trunk below the lowest scaffold branch, particularly for trees less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) in caliper. These branches
should be no greater than 3/8 inch (1 cm) diameter. Clear trunk shall be no more than 30% of the
total height of the tree.
B. Trunk: The tree trunk shall be relatively straight, vertical, and free of wounds, except properly made pruning cuts, which shall be closed over or less than 3/4 inch (2 cm) diameter open, sunburned areas, conks (fungal fruiting bodies), wood cracks, bleeding areas, signs of boring insects, galls, cankers, stem-girdling ties, or lesions (mechanical injury).
1. Trunk caliper and taper shall be sufficient so that the tree will remain vertical without a stake. Trunk caliper at 6 inches (15 cm) above the soil media (substrate) surface shall be within the diameter range shown for each container size below and as specified in current edition of ANSI Z60.1.
For example:
Container Size Trunk Diameter
#5........................0.5" to 0.75" (1.2 to 2 cm)
#15......................0.75" to 1.5" (2 to 4 cm)
24" box................1.5" to 2.5" (4 to 6.5 cm)
2. The cut made when re-growing the top should be just above the major structural roots. The "shank" that results from this procedure should be at a consistent height above the structural roots and no longer than 5" (12 cm), to ensure that the trees are consistently planted at the correct depth. The base of the trunk should not have a large pruning cut from re-growing the top.
C. Roots: The root system shall be substantially free of injury from biotic (e. g., insects and pathogens)
and abiotic (e. g., herbicide toxicity and salt injury) agents.
1. The flare shall be within the upper inch (2.5 cm) of the soil media (substrate). Depth of the root-ball shall be measured from the top of the ball, which in all cases shall begin at the flare. Soil above the flare shall not be included in the root-ball depth measurement, and shall be removed before
determining the flare.
2. The flare and the inside portion of the root-ball shall be free of defects, including circling, kinked, and stem-girdling roots. Soil removal or root washing near the flare may be necessary to inspect for the aforementioned root defects.
3. Roots on the periphery and bottom of the root-ball shall be less than 1/4 inch (.65 cm) in diameter
while 1/8 inch (.3 cm) is preferred.
4. The tree shall be well rooted in the soil media (substrate). Root distribution shall be uniform
throughout the soil or media. Structure and growth shall be appropriate for the species/cultivar.
When the burlap or container is removed, the root-ball shall remain intact. When the trunk is lifted
both the trunk and root system shall move as one.
5. Trees should have several lateral roots or many fibrous roots spaced evenly around the trunk to
provide support so the trees are stable when installed. Trees should have as many small roots as
possible. These roots are key to the uptake of sufficient water and nutrients. Fibrous roots can be
achieved by root-pruning, using air-pruning containers, or under-cutting or root pruning and
transplanting at any stage of production.
6. As a general rule for young nursery-grown trees, there should be two or more structural roots within 1 - 3 inches (2.5 - 7.5 cm) of the soil surface. "First order lateral roots" is another term that has been used for these roots. If the roots are deeper than 3 inches (7.5 cm), the stock shall be rejected. If
the root-ball is undersized as specified in current edition of ANSI Z60.1, the stock shall be rejected.
7. Field grown trees for balled and burlap delivery shall have the roots pruned at least six inches inside the final root-ball size performed within adequate time for the tree to develop fibrous roots at the
outer edge of the root-ball prior to harvest and delivery.
D. Leaves: The size, color, and appearance of leaves shall be typical for the time of year and stage of growth of the species or cultivar. Trees shall not show signs of prolonged moisture stress as indicated
by wilted, shriveled, or dead leaves.
E. Branches: Shoot growth (length and diameter) throughout the crown shall be appropriate for the age
and size of the species/cultivar. Trees shall not have dead, diseased, broken, distorted, or otherwise
injured branches.
IV. INSPECTION
The buyer reserves the right to reject trees that do not meet these specifications as adopted by the buyer. If
a particular defect or substandard element or characteristic can be easily corrected, appropriate remedies
shall be performed by the nursery to move the plants into compliance. If destructive inspection of a root-ball
or balls is to be done, the buyer and seller shall have an agreement as to the time and place of inspection, number or percent of trees or species/cultivar to be inspected, care of acceptable trees following inspection, and financial responsibility for the acceptable inspected trees.
At the time of inspection and delivery, the root-ball shall be moist throughout. If in leaf, the crown shall show no signs of moisture stress or branch dieback. The roots shall show no signs of excess soil moisture as indicated by poor root growth, root discoloration, distortion, death, or foul odor.
V. DELIVERY
The buyer shall stipulate the date of requested delivery. The nursery shall stipulate how many days prior to delivery that notification must be received, and any special considerations for care between requested delivery date and installation.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the .5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
SPECIFICATIONS FOR TREE INSTALLATION
By Len Phillips
These specifications shall be applied to all tree installations. The first items will apply to "All Trees" digging methods, followed by digging methods that apply to specific trees. The "Installation Site" and "Installation Process" mentioned near the bottom of this specification shall remain the same regardless of the digging method. The "Installation Soil" paragraphs are for situations where a specification for soil quality might be necessary.
ALL TREES
1. All trees shall be established, field grown, well rooted, and properly dug while the tree is dormant.
2. The site shall have a sufficient amount of soil to accommodate the tree at maturity according to the following:
- Trees larger than 50 ft. (15 m.) tall or spread need 2,700 cu. ft. (80 cu. m.) of soil.
- Trees that grow 30 to 50 ft. (9 to 15 m.) tall or spread need 1,200 cu. ft. (34 cu. m.) of soil. - Trees that grow less than 30 ft. (9 m.) tall need 600 cu. ft. of soil.
- Trees that are to grow in soil cells, structural soils, or suspended pavement need 1,500 cu. ft. (40
cu. m.) of soil.
- If soil volumes cannot be met in a sidewalk location, then all trees in a row shall be installed in a minimum 8' (2.4 m.) wide by 3' (1 m.) deep trench so that soil volumes are shared between trees.
3. The root spread dimensions of the harvested trees shall conform to the American Standards for Nursery Stock for each size and type of tree.
4. Using a hose, power washer or air excavation device, wash out the substrate from around the flare and top of the root ball to find and remove all stem girdling roots within the root ball above the top of the structural roots. If the soils in the root ball and the site are different types, also wash off the outside edge of the root ball to expose the roots so they will begin to grow in the backfill soil and not remain confined to the root
ball.
5. Trees shall be dug prior to bud break in the spring or during the approved autumn installation period except for trees known to be intolerant of autumn installation.
6. Trees shall be dug for a minimum of 4 weeks and a maximum of 52 weeks prior to shipping. Trees that are stored out of the ground shall be placed in a holding area protected from extremes of wind and sun with the roots protected by covering with mulch and irrigated sufficiently to keep the roots moist at all times.
7. The branches shall be tied up to minimize breakage during storage and shipping.
8. The trunk shall be wrapped on thin-barked trees only. These trees shall be unwrapped at the installation site to check for injuries.
BARE ROOT TREES
1. If daytime outside temperatures exceeds 70° F (20° C), utilize a refrigerated storage area with
temperature between 35° and 50° F (2°-10° C).
2. For trees to be installed after bud break, place the trees in an irrigated bed of pea gravel or wood chips before bud break. The gravel or chip bed shall be 18 inches (0.5 m) deep over a sheet of plastic. Space the trees to allow the unbundled branches to grow without shading each other.
3. During installation, attention shall be placed on keeping all bare roots covered and moist until placement
in the installation pit.
BALLED AND BURLAPPED TREES
1. The root ball shall be packaged in burlap and twine and/or burlap and a wire basket according to
American Standards for Nursery Stock.
2. If wire baskets are used to support the root ball, a “low profile” basket shall be used.
3. Twine and burlap used for wrapping the root ball package shall be a natural, biodegradable material. If
the burlap decomposes after digging and the tree has not been shipped, the root ball shall be re-
wrapped to keep the ball intact during shipping.
CONTAINER GROWN TREES
1. Wash out the substrate from around the flare and top of the root ball to find and remove all circling
roots.
2. All trees shall be fibrous rooted and created by a succession of root pruning containers, increasing in
size with the growth of the trees.
SPADE DUG TREES
1. Trees shall be moved and installed within 48 hours of the initial digging and shall remain in the spade machine or a pod until installed.
2. Prior to installing the tree, loosen the soil along the outside edge of the hole to disturb the soil interface.
IN-GROUND FABRIC BAG-GROWN TREES
1. At the installation site, remove the fabric bag from the root ball. Cut roots at the edge of the container
as needed to extract the fabric from the roots. Make clean cuts with sharp tools; do not tear roots away
from the fabric.
2. Observe the root system after the container is removed to confirm that the root system meets the quality standards.
PALMS
1. In preparing palm trees for relocation, all dead fronds shall be removed. Up to 2/3 of the oldest live
fronds may be removed. All fronds may be removed on Sabal palms. All remaining fronds above
horizontal shall be lifted up and tied together around the crown in an upright position. Do not tie too
tightly, bind, or injure the bud. Jute binder twine shall be used in tying up the fronds; wire shall not be
permitted. Fronds shall be untied immediately after installation.
2. When digging out the root ball, the excavation shall conform to the American Standards for Nursery
Stock and extend below the major root system to a minimum depth of 3.5 feet (1 m.). The bottom of the
root ball shall be cut off square and perpendicular to the trunk below the major root system.
3. The Contractor shall not free-fall, drag, roll, or abuse the tree or put a strain on the crown (bud area) at any time. A protective device shall be used around the trunk of the tree while lifting and relocating so as not to injure the bud, or scar or skin the trunk in any way.
4. Remove the twine which ties fronds together after placing the palm in the installation pit and secure it in the upright position.
INSTALLATION SITE
1. No installation shall take place during extremely hot, dry, windy, rainy, or freezing weather.
2. At the installation site, the pit shall be dug in a saucer shape, three times the diameter of the root spread, tapered down to a depth that maintains the tree's flare at or one inch (2.5 cm) above the finished grade in the center of the pit. Any compacted soil within 3 to 5 times the root ball diameter shall be loosened and aerated.
3. The tree shall be set and positioned as desired on firm but not compacted soil. On thin barked trees, orient the tree same as it was at the nursery, so the largest branches are facing southwest.
4. With the tree in the pit, carefully remove all containers, wire, rope, and burlap from the root ball and dispose of these products. The root ball shall be kept intact except for an optional inspection of the
roots, by the city's representative, for deformities, disease, or damage, and assurance that the roots are
in excellent condition.
INSTALLATION PROCESS
1. Spread all the visible roots out to grow away from the trunk in the prepared pit making the pit wider where needed to accommodate long roots. Prune any broken roots removing the least amount of tissue possible.
2. Begin back-filling with soil removed from the hole. If soil conditions warrant and the city’s representative agrees, amendments shall be added such as compost, biochar, mycorrhizae, and/or fertilizer. A shovel full of soil dug from within a nearby existing tree's root area, shall be sprinkled over the new tree's
roots at the start of the back filling to provide fresh mycorrhizae over the new tree's roots.
3. Maintain the trunk plumb while back-filling soil around the roots.
4. Water shall be added when tree is half planted and jiggle the tree gently to be sure the soil contacts all roots. Compacting the soil around the roots by any means is prohibited. When the water has drained, continue the installation process.
5. When the remaining soil has been replaced and level with the finished grade, build a small berm
around the entire installation area to hold water and mulch within the installation area. The mulch shall
be placed 4 inches (10 cm) deep before settlement, with a mulch material approved by the city's
representative.
6. Water again when berm is completely finished and 2 more times in first 24 hours.
7. Remove any broken, dead, damaged, or diseased branches. Also remove all tags, tape, and trunk coverings from the branches and trunk.
8. In the event that the Contractor feels that staking is necessary to keep a particular tree plumb, below ground anchors shall be installed. Below ground anchorage systems shall be constructed of 2 x 2 dimensional untreated wood securing [using 3 inch (7 cm) long screws] horizontal portions to 4 feet (1.2 m) long vertical stakes driven straight into the ground outside the root ball, creating a wooden “staple” to hold the roots firmly at the bottom of the pit and to keep the tree trunk plumb.
9. The Contractor shall be fully responsible to ensure that adequate water is provided to all trees from the point of installation until the date of completion. The watering program shall be set up for a daily watering for first 2 weeks after planting and weekly to the end of the first growing season. All watering may be deferred if there has been at least one inch (2.5 cm) of rainfall since the previous watering. Instead of conventional watering of trees, the contractor may use plastic tree watering bags holding a minimum of 15 gallons of water and with a slow drip hole(s) water release system, specifically designed to water establishing trees. Water should release over a several day period. During the first season, any trees that need to be straightened shall be excavated and the root ball moved to a plumb position, and then re- planted.
INSTALLATION SOIL
Any soil is suitable for tree growth if it is clean, coarse grained, fertile, friable, and loamy. The soil shall be free of trash, refuse, subsoil, heavy or stiff clay, stones larger than 1 inch (2.5 cm), contaminants, noxious seeds, sticks, brush, stumps, roots, litter, and other deleterious substances larger than three inches (7 cm). The soil shall be suitable for the support of vegetative growth and shall be mixed with compost at a rate of 20% of the total amount of soil. The physical requirements of the planting soil shall be less than 15% gravel, 30‐50% sand, 5‐60% silt, and no more than 35% clay. The acceptable range of pH is 5.5 to 7.3.
BIORETENTION INSTALLATION SOIL
Bioretention soil shall be a soil which contains less than 12% silt and clay, 3‐7% organic matter, and has a hydraulic conductivity at 85% compaction of 2.5”‐4.5” (6-11 cm) per hour. The bioretention soil will be required to slow the discharge of stormwater runoff as well as provide the soil for tree and plant growth.
Source
Phillips, Len, ”Read about Urban Tree Planting”, Topic #5, Online Seminars for Municipal Arborists, October 2016.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the .5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
By Len Phillips
These specifications shall be applied to all tree installations. The first items will apply to "All Trees" digging methods, followed by digging methods that apply to specific trees. The "Installation Site" and "Installation Process" mentioned near the bottom of this specification shall remain the same regardless of the digging method. The "Installation Soil" paragraphs are for situations where a specification for soil quality might be necessary.
ALL TREES
1. All trees shall be established, field grown, well rooted, and properly dug while the tree is dormant.
2. The site shall have a sufficient amount of soil to accommodate the tree at maturity according to the following:
- Trees larger than 50 ft. (15 m.) tall or spread need 2,700 cu. ft. (80 cu. m.) of soil.
- Trees that grow 30 to 50 ft. (9 to 15 m.) tall or spread need 1,200 cu. ft. (34 cu. m.) of soil. - Trees that grow less than 30 ft. (9 m.) tall need 600 cu. ft. of soil.
- Trees that are to grow in soil cells, structural soils, or suspended pavement need 1,500 cu. ft. (40
cu. m.) of soil.
- If soil volumes cannot be met in a sidewalk location, then all trees in a row shall be installed in a minimum 8' (2.4 m.) wide by 3' (1 m.) deep trench so that soil volumes are shared between trees.
3. The root spread dimensions of the harvested trees shall conform to the American Standards for Nursery Stock for each size and type of tree.
4. Using a hose, power washer or air excavation device, wash out the substrate from around the flare and top of the root ball to find and remove all stem girdling roots within the root ball above the top of the structural roots. If the soils in the root ball and the site are different types, also wash off the outside edge of the root ball to expose the roots so they will begin to grow in the backfill soil and not remain confined to the root
ball.
5. Trees shall be dug prior to bud break in the spring or during the approved autumn installation period except for trees known to be intolerant of autumn installation.
6. Trees shall be dug for a minimum of 4 weeks and a maximum of 52 weeks prior to shipping. Trees that are stored out of the ground shall be placed in a holding area protected from extremes of wind and sun with the roots protected by covering with mulch and irrigated sufficiently to keep the roots moist at all times.
7. The branches shall be tied up to minimize breakage during storage and shipping.
8. The trunk shall be wrapped on thin-barked trees only. These trees shall be unwrapped at the installation site to check for injuries.
BARE ROOT TREES
1. If daytime outside temperatures exceeds 70° F (20° C), utilize a refrigerated storage area with
temperature between 35° and 50° F (2°-10° C).
2. For trees to be installed after bud break, place the trees in an irrigated bed of pea gravel or wood chips before bud break. The gravel or chip bed shall be 18 inches (0.5 m) deep over a sheet of plastic. Space the trees to allow the unbundled branches to grow without shading each other.
3. During installation, attention shall be placed on keeping all bare roots covered and moist until placement
in the installation pit.
BALLED AND BURLAPPED TREES
1. The root ball shall be packaged in burlap and twine and/or burlap and a wire basket according to
American Standards for Nursery Stock.
2. If wire baskets are used to support the root ball, a “low profile” basket shall be used.
3. Twine and burlap used for wrapping the root ball package shall be a natural, biodegradable material. If
the burlap decomposes after digging and the tree has not been shipped, the root ball shall be re-
wrapped to keep the ball intact during shipping.
CONTAINER GROWN TREES
1. Wash out the substrate from around the flare and top of the root ball to find and remove all circling
roots.
2. All trees shall be fibrous rooted and created by a succession of root pruning containers, increasing in
size with the growth of the trees.
SPADE DUG TREES
1. Trees shall be moved and installed within 48 hours of the initial digging and shall remain in the spade machine or a pod until installed.
2. Prior to installing the tree, loosen the soil along the outside edge of the hole to disturb the soil interface.
IN-GROUND FABRIC BAG-GROWN TREES
1. At the installation site, remove the fabric bag from the root ball. Cut roots at the edge of the container
as needed to extract the fabric from the roots. Make clean cuts with sharp tools; do not tear roots away
from the fabric.
2. Observe the root system after the container is removed to confirm that the root system meets the quality standards.
PALMS
1. In preparing palm trees for relocation, all dead fronds shall be removed. Up to 2/3 of the oldest live
fronds may be removed. All fronds may be removed on Sabal palms. All remaining fronds above
horizontal shall be lifted up and tied together around the crown in an upright position. Do not tie too
tightly, bind, or injure the bud. Jute binder twine shall be used in tying up the fronds; wire shall not be
permitted. Fronds shall be untied immediately after installation.
2. When digging out the root ball, the excavation shall conform to the American Standards for Nursery
Stock and extend below the major root system to a minimum depth of 3.5 feet (1 m.). The bottom of the
root ball shall be cut off square and perpendicular to the trunk below the major root system.
3. The Contractor shall not free-fall, drag, roll, or abuse the tree or put a strain on the crown (bud area) at any time. A protective device shall be used around the trunk of the tree while lifting and relocating so as not to injure the bud, or scar or skin the trunk in any way.
4. Remove the twine which ties fronds together after placing the palm in the installation pit and secure it in the upright position.
INSTALLATION SITE
1. No installation shall take place during extremely hot, dry, windy, rainy, or freezing weather.
2. At the installation site, the pit shall be dug in a saucer shape, three times the diameter of the root spread, tapered down to a depth that maintains the tree's flare at or one inch (2.5 cm) above the finished grade in the center of the pit. Any compacted soil within 3 to 5 times the root ball diameter shall be loosened and aerated.
3. The tree shall be set and positioned as desired on firm but not compacted soil. On thin barked trees, orient the tree same as it was at the nursery, so the largest branches are facing southwest.
4. With the tree in the pit, carefully remove all containers, wire, rope, and burlap from the root ball and dispose of these products. The root ball shall be kept intact except for an optional inspection of the
roots, by the city's representative, for deformities, disease, or damage, and assurance that the roots are
in excellent condition.
INSTALLATION PROCESS
1. Spread all the visible roots out to grow away from the trunk in the prepared pit making the pit wider where needed to accommodate long roots. Prune any broken roots removing the least amount of tissue possible.
2. Begin back-filling with soil removed from the hole. If soil conditions warrant and the city’s representative agrees, amendments shall be added such as compost, biochar, mycorrhizae, and/or fertilizer. A shovel full of soil dug from within a nearby existing tree's root area, shall be sprinkled over the new tree's
roots at the start of the back filling to provide fresh mycorrhizae over the new tree's roots.
3. Maintain the trunk plumb while back-filling soil around the roots.
4. Water shall be added when tree is half planted and jiggle the tree gently to be sure the soil contacts all roots. Compacting the soil around the roots by any means is prohibited. When the water has drained, continue the installation process.
5. When the remaining soil has been replaced and level with the finished grade, build a small berm
around the entire installation area to hold water and mulch within the installation area. The mulch shall
be placed 4 inches (10 cm) deep before settlement, with a mulch material approved by the city's
representative.
6. Water again when berm is completely finished and 2 more times in first 24 hours.
7. Remove any broken, dead, damaged, or diseased branches. Also remove all tags, tape, and trunk coverings from the branches and trunk.
8. In the event that the Contractor feels that staking is necessary to keep a particular tree plumb, below ground anchors shall be installed. Below ground anchorage systems shall be constructed of 2 x 2 dimensional untreated wood securing [using 3 inch (7 cm) long screws] horizontal portions to 4 feet (1.2 m) long vertical stakes driven straight into the ground outside the root ball, creating a wooden “staple” to hold the roots firmly at the bottom of the pit and to keep the tree trunk plumb.
9. The Contractor shall be fully responsible to ensure that adequate water is provided to all trees from the point of installation until the date of completion. The watering program shall be set up for a daily watering for first 2 weeks after planting and weekly to the end of the first growing season. All watering may be deferred if there has been at least one inch (2.5 cm) of rainfall since the previous watering. Instead of conventional watering of trees, the contractor may use plastic tree watering bags holding a minimum of 15 gallons of water and with a slow drip hole(s) water release system, specifically designed to water establishing trees. Water should release over a several day period. During the first season, any trees that need to be straightened shall be excavated and the root ball moved to a plumb position, and then re- planted.
INSTALLATION SOIL
Any soil is suitable for tree growth if it is clean, coarse grained, fertile, friable, and loamy. The soil shall be free of trash, refuse, subsoil, heavy or stiff clay, stones larger than 1 inch (2.5 cm), contaminants, noxious seeds, sticks, brush, stumps, roots, litter, and other deleterious substances larger than three inches (7 cm). The soil shall be suitable for the support of vegetative growth and shall be mixed with compost at a rate of 20% of the total amount of soil. The physical requirements of the planting soil shall be less than 15% gravel, 30‐50% sand, 5‐60% silt, and no more than 35% clay. The acceptable range of pH is 5.5 to 7.3.
BIORETENTION INSTALLATION SOIL
Bioretention soil shall be a soil which contains less than 12% silt and clay, 3‐7% organic matter, and has a hydraulic conductivity at 85% compaction of 2.5”‐4.5” (6-11 cm) per hour. The bioretention soil will be required to slow the discharge of stormwater runoff as well as provide the soil for tree and plant growth.
Source
Phillips, Len, ”Read about Urban Tree Planting”, Topic #5, Online Seminars for Municipal Arborists, October 2016.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the .5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Tree Inspection Checklist
Edited by Len Phillips
The following items should be reviewed before climbing into a tree for any reason at all. The arborist should examine all elements of the tree as well as the work site and the intended climb, before doing any actual work. Keep in mind that the tree's leaves may hide potential problems.
First – Look at the bottom of the tree.
Second – Walk around the trunk.
Third – Look at the crown.
Fourth – Look at the branches in the crown.
Fifth – Look for the best work and set-up site.
Sixth – Storm damage cleanup.
Source
Jepson, Jeff, “The Tree Climber's Companion”, Second Edition, 2000.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Tree Worker Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
The following items should be reviewed before climbing into a tree for any reason at all. The arborist should examine all elements of the tree as well as the work site and the intended climb, before doing any actual work. Keep in mind that the tree's leaves may hide potential problems.
First – Look at the bottom of the tree.
- Is the flare visible?
- Be sure the flare is uniform around the trunk and no cracks are visible that might indicate weakness,
- Be sure there are no mushrooms at the base of the tree that might indicate a rot in the tree,
- Are there any areas of raised soil on the opposite side of a leaning tree that might indicate instability?
Second – Walk around the trunk.
- Look under any vines covering the bark for hidden problems,
- Is the bark secure on all sides of the trunk,
- Walk around the trunk with the sounding mallet looking for cracks, loose bark, and hollow areas,
- Are there any hollows or swellings visible on the bark that might indicate weak spots?
Third – Look at the crown.
- Are the leaves healthy over the entire crown?
- Are there any bees or animals visible from the ground that might harm the climber?
- Are there any electrical wires running through the branches in the areas where work is intended?
- Are any weak branches cabled to other branches and do the cables appear sound?
Fourth – Look at the branches in the crown.
- Are there any hangers, dead, or weak branches to look at, before climbing into the tree?
- Look for cracks and splits in the upper trunk and along the branches that might break,
- Look for weak angle crotches to avoid.
Fifth – Look for the best work and set-up site.
- Check the locations of visible sidewalks, buildings, driveways, and vehicles,
- Look for the locations of underground utilities including septic systems and drainage systems,
- Check again for overhead utility lines,
- Has contact been made with the local utility marking service, to locate underground lines?
- Check with homeowners regarding personal property items such as lawn furniture, bird houses and feeders, lawn care equipment, and gardens that all need relocation or protection,
- Look at the land for wet spots, and steep slopes,
- Determine the best location for visibility of the entire tree during the work.
Sixth – Storm damage cleanup.
- Look over the entire site to assess property damage,
- Which trees are considered hazardous?
- Look for hangers that might fall during the cleanup process,
- Be aware of tree parts that may be under tension and could cause problems during the work process
- Be aware of the potential for ice, snow, or wet spots to be slippery to the climber and ground crew.
Source
Jepson, Jeff, “The Tree Climber's Companion”, Second Edition, 2000.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Tree Worker Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
The Arborist's Five-Step Tree Felling Plan
By Ken Palmer
One of Noah Webster’s definitions of an accident is “an unplanned event.” So, it stands to reason that to avoid accidents, you must plan your work and work your plan! When felling trees, it is vital that arborists have and use a tree felling plan. The following five-step tree felling plan incorporates up-to-date cutting methods, is widely used by professional chainsaw operators worldwide, and has recently been adopted into the ANSI Z-133.1 standard for tree-care operations. Using the five-step tree felling plan will help you to achieve successful results consistently.
#1 Identify height and hazards – Decide on the most desirable direction to fell the tree. Use a reliable method to determine the height of the tree relative to the direction of the fall. Look for tree defects, decay, electrical conductors, or any other characteristics of the tree that may affect the felling plan. Consider obstacles within the tree felling site such as structures, pavement, and outdoor furnishings. While some can be moved if necessary; others will have to be avoided. Assess the strength and direction of the wind.
#2 Assess the side lean – This often determines whether or not the hinge will hold and whether or not you may need to remove some weight from the “bad” side. This also provides the information necessary to determine the “good” and “bad” sides of the tree for the feller to stand when making the final cut.
#3 Escape route – Always think about your escape route before you begin the felling operation. The escape route should be at a 45-degree angle opposite the felling direction. Be sure to walk your escape route before making any felling cuts and clear any obstacles or hazards before beginning to fell the tree. Remember to use your escape route as soon as or before the tree begins to fall.
#4 Hinge plan – The face notch and hinge are critical to safe, accurate, and consistent tree felling results. Plan the size, depth and placement of the notch. Determine the desired thickness and length of the hinge.
#5 Back cut technique – The back cut is often taken for granted, but if it is not performed properly, it is often the cause of tree felling accidents. Forward or back lean may determine what kind of back cut you will use: the straightforward back cut or the bore cut. The degree of forward or back lean will determine how many wedges and/or whether a pull rope will be necessary, as well as how much power may be required to pull/move the tree over the pivot point (the hinge).
Remember that if the tree is too thin, there may not be enough wood for a notch, hinge, bore cut and back/holding strap. In that case it will be necessary to use the straightforward back cut. Remember to finish the felling cut on the “good” side of the tree and use your escape route as soon as the tree begins to fall.
Please note: This article and test also appear in Seminar #89. Credit for passing this test can only be earned once.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA practice or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
By Ken Palmer
One of Noah Webster’s definitions of an accident is “an unplanned event.” So, it stands to reason that to avoid accidents, you must plan your work and work your plan! When felling trees, it is vital that arborists have and use a tree felling plan. The following five-step tree felling plan incorporates up-to-date cutting methods, is widely used by professional chainsaw operators worldwide, and has recently been adopted into the ANSI Z-133.1 standard for tree-care operations. Using the five-step tree felling plan will help you to achieve successful results consistently.
#1 Identify height and hazards – Decide on the most desirable direction to fell the tree. Use a reliable method to determine the height of the tree relative to the direction of the fall. Look for tree defects, decay, electrical conductors, or any other characteristics of the tree that may affect the felling plan. Consider obstacles within the tree felling site such as structures, pavement, and outdoor furnishings. While some can be moved if necessary; others will have to be avoided. Assess the strength and direction of the wind.
#2 Assess the side lean – This often determines whether or not the hinge will hold and whether or not you may need to remove some weight from the “bad” side. This also provides the information necessary to determine the “good” and “bad” sides of the tree for the feller to stand when making the final cut.
#3 Escape route – Always think about your escape route before you begin the felling operation. The escape route should be at a 45-degree angle opposite the felling direction. Be sure to walk your escape route before making any felling cuts and clear any obstacles or hazards before beginning to fell the tree. Remember to use your escape route as soon as or before the tree begins to fall.
#4 Hinge plan – The face notch and hinge are critical to safe, accurate, and consistent tree felling results. Plan the size, depth and placement of the notch. Determine the desired thickness and length of the hinge.
#5 Back cut technique – The back cut is often taken for granted, but if it is not performed properly, it is often the cause of tree felling accidents. Forward or back lean may determine what kind of back cut you will use: the straightforward back cut or the bore cut. The degree of forward or back lean will determine how many wedges and/or whether a pull rope will be necessary, as well as how much power may be required to pull/move the tree over the pivot point (the hinge).
Remember that if the tree is too thin, there may not be enough wood for a notch, hinge, bore cut and back/holding strap. In that case it will be necessary to use the straightforward back cut. Remember to finish the felling cut on the “good” side of the tree and use your escape route as soon as the tree begins to fall.
Please note: This article and test also appear in Seminar #89. Credit for passing this test can only be earned once.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA practice or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
SPECIFICATIONS FOR STRUCTURAL PRUNING OF TREES
By Len Phillips
By Len Phillips
The objective for the structural pruning of trees is to create a tree with a sound long-term growth structure and a large and natural crown.
1. Pruning for structure shall focus on directing growth and developing a framework for the tree to establish its mature form and growth of a dominant leader. Pruning cuts shall be the smallest diameter possible to accomplish the desired tree structure, and no larger than 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter.
2. All park and/or public shade trees along the City streets shall receive structural pruning after the second growing season following the installation of the tree. The tree shall be pruned to select and establish one dominant central leader, subordinate competing leaders, and retain smaller diameter and shorter branches distributed horizontally and vertically around the dominant leader.
3. On trees that are growing for the fifth season after installation and have temporary branches along the trunk, those branches shall be shortened and retained until the trunk establishes mature or corky bark. If the tree is tall enough the lowest permanent branches shall be determined on the trunk approximately 6 to 8 feet (2-3 m) above grade to provide adequate walkway clearance, and 12 to 15 feet (4-5 m) above grade to provide adequate street and driveway clearance. Retain the central leader until the tree approaches a size where the permanent branches are set and the structure is sound, and co-dominant growth is less a concern for the structural integrity of the tree.
4. Trees that are growing for the eighth season after installation may require very little structural pruning. Pruning cuts to shorten long branches may be required to reduce leverage on the branches by pruning the outer 1/3 of foliar crown as needed, making the smallest diameter cuts possible to provide objectives such as clearance, reducing the risk of branch failure, and aesthetics.
5. If the tree is intentionally grown as a multi-stemmed specimen, each single stem shall receive structural pruning to establish a central leader until the stem has reached approximately half of the eventual mature height of each leader.
6. Trees growing beside a street, with decurrent, rounded, or spreading branching habits, shall receive a greater emphasis on placement of the permanent branches to achieve the required clearance. Excurrent or cone shaped growth habits shall be pruned to retain the central leader and remove co-dominant leaders or competing lateral branches. If the tree is being grown for a columnar shape, subordinate pruning may be applicable on co-dominant leaders.
7. Opposite branched species have a greater tendency to develop co-dominant leaders and re-develop co- dominant leaders after pruning. In these cases, competing leaders shall be removed entirely to maintain one central leader.
8. The number of leaves present guide the growth of a branch or leader. It is important to avoid removing too much foliage on the branches growing from the leader in the upper crown so the leader's growth will not slow down and lose dominance. It is important to return to this tree every two years to remove co-dominant sprouts and prune to reduce competition with the central leader.
9. All structural pruning shall be completed by a qualified arborist trained in young tree pruning, structural pruning, end weight reduction, and may be ISA certified. Questions and concerns regarding the selection of leaders and branches to be retained and removed shall be made in the field in consultation with the municipal inspector, prior to the work commencing. Any work deemed necessary by the person performing the pruning to be outside of these specifications shall receive prior approval of authorization to perform the work before proceeding.
Source:
Mann, Gordon and Len Phillips, “Topic #17 All About Proper Pruning of Trees”, Online Seminars, January 2017.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the .5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
1. Pruning for structure shall focus on directing growth and developing a framework for the tree to establish its mature form and growth of a dominant leader. Pruning cuts shall be the smallest diameter possible to accomplish the desired tree structure, and no larger than 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter.
2. All park and/or public shade trees along the City streets shall receive structural pruning after the second growing season following the installation of the tree. The tree shall be pruned to select and establish one dominant central leader, subordinate competing leaders, and retain smaller diameter and shorter branches distributed horizontally and vertically around the dominant leader.
3. On trees that are growing for the fifth season after installation and have temporary branches along the trunk, those branches shall be shortened and retained until the trunk establishes mature or corky bark. If the tree is tall enough the lowest permanent branches shall be determined on the trunk approximately 6 to 8 feet (2-3 m) above grade to provide adequate walkway clearance, and 12 to 15 feet (4-5 m) above grade to provide adequate street and driveway clearance. Retain the central leader until the tree approaches a size where the permanent branches are set and the structure is sound, and co-dominant growth is less a concern for the structural integrity of the tree.
4. Trees that are growing for the eighth season after installation may require very little structural pruning. Pruning cuts to shorten long branches may be required to reduce leverage on the branches by pruning the outer 1/3 of foliar crown as needed, making the smallest diameter cuts possible to provide objectives such as clearance, reducing the risk of branch failure, and aesthetics.
5. If the tree is intentionally grown as a multi-stemmed specimen, each single stem shall receive structural pruning to establish a central leader until the stem has reached approximately half of the eventual mature height of each leader.
6. Trees growing beside a street, with decurrent, rounded, or spreading branching habits, shall receive a greater emphasis on placement of the permanent branches to achieve the required clearance. Excurrent or cone shaped growth habits shall be pruned to retain the central leader and remove co-dominant leaders or competing lateral branches. If the tree is being grown for a columnar shape, subordinate pruning may be applicable on co-dominant leaders.
7. Opposite branched species have a greater tendency to develop co-dominant leaders and re-develop co- dominant leaders after pruning. In these cases, competing leaders shall be removed entirely to maintain one central leader.
8. The number of leaves present guide the growth of a branch or leader. It is important to avoid removing too much foliage on the branches growing from the leader in the upper crown so the leader's growth will not slow down and lose dominance. It is important to return to this tree every two years to remove co-dominant sprouts and prune to reduce competition with the central leader.
9. All structural pruning shall be completed by a qualified arborist trained in young tree pruning, structural pruning, end weight reduction, and may be ISA certified. Questions and concerns regarding the selection of leaders and branches to be retained and removed shall be made in the field in consultation with the municipal inspector, prior to the work commencing. Any work deemed necessary by the person performing the pruning to be outside of these specifications shall receive prior approval of authorization to perform the work before proceeding.
Source:
Mann, Gordon and Len Phillips, “Topic #17 All About Proper Pruning of Trees”, Online Seminars, January 2017.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the .5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
SPECIFICATIONS FOR TREE PROTECTION
By Len Phillips
The following specification is an example that will ensure that trees growing on a site, prior to construction, will have the best opportunity to thrive and continue growing into high value property assets. This tree protection specification is intended to guide a construction project to insure that appropriate practices will be implemented in the field to eliminate consequences of tree damage and death that may result from uninformed or careless acts, and conserve trees to be valuable property assets. Site specific variations may be necessary to conserve trees based on the site use, the space available, species, climate, construction design, and the existing conditions of the trees.
1. General Tree Protection Instructions
The objective of these tree protection instructions is to minimize the negative impacts of construction
activities on trees near the property under construction. With proper planning, many negative impacts to
trees can be avoided. Whenever possible, the placement of underground utilities and service connections
to new buildings shall be designed so that the proposed service lines are installed as far away from
existing and new trees as possible.
The municipality may have conditions, restrictions, and preservation requirements that limit the number of trees that can be removed on public and private property. The applicant shall learn the municipality rules and work to align the project within these requirements. A Tree Removal Permit shall be issued after the agency finds that all reasonable efforts have been undertaken in the architectural layout and design of the proposed development to preserve the existing trees. The Tree Removal Permit shall require replacement trees and/or compensation for the lost value of trees on or adjacent to the site under construction.
A) Building placement and driveway, walkways, and parking areas shall be designed in such a way as to avoid unnecessary removal of existing trees found worthy of conservation in health and structure. Preferably all access pavements and utilities shall be located in the same general vicinity to avoid excessive tree removals.
B) The proposed placement of all utility service lines, including irrigation and lighting, shall be shown on
the site and landscaping plans. Every effort shall be made to protect the existing trees during the
placement of utility service lines including the use of trenchless technology, auguring, and/or jacking as
opposed to open trench cutting. The landscape and irrigation plans shall demonstrate that every effort
was made to avoid damage to existing trees during installation of irrigation, lighting, and plants.
C) If the agency requirements are for canopy cover, or size and number of trees to be conserved on a site, the plans shall demonstrate how the project meets those requirements.
2. Tree Protection Required
A) An applicant shall protect the public trees as well as the private trees on the site under development.
B) An applicant shall submit a tree protection plan incorporating proposed tree protection measures for
any existing public trees and private trees on any site or construction project where improvements are proposed in compliance with this specification.
C) The construction plans shall identify any tree proposed for removal and shall provide explanation for the reason the tree must be removed.
D) The construction plans shall identify the protection measures for existing trees that might be damaged from proposed construction activities for all existing trees located on the property and adjacent public or private properties.
E) The applicant shall notify the Municipality within 24 hours of any suspected damage to trees resulting
from construction activities. If damage occurs during construction, the applicant shall have the
damaged tree repaired as quickly as possible. If the tree must be removed because it presents a risk or
is irreparably damaged, the appropriate mitigation shall be performed, either restoring the value of the
tree or agency replacement requirements on the property, or through mitigation fees.
3. Protection of Existing Trees on the Site
The Contractor must protect all designated trees on the construction site from damage in accordance with
the provisions of the Municipal Code and/or development requirements. The Contractor must restore all damaged public property and parkways to their original condition and repair or remove and replace any
trees and shrubs damaged as a result of construction activity on pubic property as determined by
the Municipality, at the Contractor’s expense. If any Municipality-owned trees or shrubs damaged by
construction activity must be removed and replaced, and trees or shrubs of comparable size, type, and
value are unavailable or the time for installation is unsuitable, the Municipality will charge Contractor their
appraised value determined by a qualified arborist, which amount the Municipality will deduct from amounts
due the Contractor, or, if no amounts are due, then Contractor must promptly pay the Municipality the
amounts determined. If any private trees damaged by construction activity must be removed and replaced,
and trees or shrubs of comparable size, type, and value are unavailable or the time for installation is
unsuitable, the property owner shall replace their appraised value as determined by a qualified arborist on
the property where the damage occurred prior to project acceptance.
At a minimum, any tree greater than 4" D.B.H. that is permanently damaged due to the construction project and not originally marked for removal shall be replaced with as many new trees, with proper spacing, that have a minimum of 4" (10 cm) caliper, to restore the value of the damaged tree. Any damaged tree smaller than 4" (10 cm) caliper measured 6" (15 cm) above the flare shall be replaced in kind, inch for inch. If the
site cannot accommodate the number of trees to be replaced, another nearby installation site or a payment
to a tree mitigation fund may be required.
A protection barrier or fence of at least 4 feet (1.2m) in height shall be installed around each tree or group of trees to be protected and preserved. The tree protection shall be installed prior to any construction
activities start and maintained for the duration of the project through the landscape phase. Construction
materials shall not be stored, nor shall equipment operated and/or temporary storage buildings or work
trailers be placed within this protection zone.
The protection barrier must be constructed of orange snow fencing or chain link fencing securely fastened
to fence posts spaced appropriately on-center to support the fence. The minimum allowable posts are 6
feet (1.8 m) in length with 2 feet (61 cm) set into the ground and 4 feet (1.2 m) extending above ground.
The fencing shall be securely attached to the post. Temporary chain link fence with on-surface bases may
be approved as protection barriers. The fencing shall be maintained throughout the construction process.
4. Public Shade Trees
The protection has to be related to the construction project. If repairing sidewalks adjacent to trees, the protection has to allow the work to proceed in a reasonable manner. If working on adjacent property and
the need is to protect the trees and installation pit soil, protective fencing should be in place around the installation pit prior to construction.
A) Trees located in Tree Pits – Where trees are located within tree pits, the fencing should be installed at a minimum distance of the inside dimension of the tree pit opening with a minimum of one stake at each corner of the opening, and spaced along sides where needed for stability in larger pits.
B) Trees located in boulevards or medians – Trees located in boulevards or streets shall have tree protection fencing installed out to the drip-line of the tree where the site allows. These locations shall be noted on the site plans for the proposed construction.
C) Alternatives to Tree Protection – Fencing may be approved and/or be required should existing conditions and/or proposed work warrant it (limited access to property etc.). Examples of alternatives
are:
1) Trunk protection boards tied around tree trunk with a constructed bridge over the root system of the tree. Area of the bridge will typically cover the area under the dripline for all trees.
2) Plywood instead of snow fencing may be required on projects with a large number of trees and/or where the Municipality determines that additional protection is required.
D) Pre-Construction Tree Pruning – Trees within the construction zone, that are to be preserved, shall
have their branches raised to an appropriate height to perform the work without breaking branches with construction equipment. Typical ranges are a minimum height of 12 feet (4 m) and a maximum of 20
feet (6.1m) if the tree crown is expected to conflict with construction equipment, or structures. All dead branches greater than one inch in diameter should be removed to reduce the risk of dead branch
failure to construction personnel.
All tree pruning shall be performed prior to the start of construction to prevent damage to trees being preserved and protected. Tree pruning must be performed so as to maintain natural tree form and retaining the largest foliar crowns possible. Heading cuts directly above the curb or a limit line is strictly prohibited. Only qualified tree maintenance companies will receive permit approval to perform pruning work on trees. A certified arborist or qualified tree worker shall perform all tree pruning work.
E) Root Pruning (prior to excavation) – Where the proposed back of curb, driveway or sidewalk edge is located 5 feet (1.5m) or less from the trunk of an existing tree, root pruning can be a critical operation. The farther from the tree trunk that the roots are cut, the lesser percentage of the root system will be removed. If possible, expose the roots prior to cutting. Roots can be exposed by carefully hand
digging, pneumatic or pressurized air excavation, and hydro or pressurized water excavation. If the tree
is a municipality-owned tree, a permit will be required to perform this work. Whenever roots of trees to
remain are exposed during construction, the root ends are to be cut off cleanly and the roots covered by
cloth and kept moist for as long as the root is exposed. When roots are to be removed during
excavation, the roots have to be cut on the tree-side of the trench prior to excavating the roots. This
limits the damage to the roots. If roots are torn out of the trench, the damage can be caused much
closer to the tree, and the extent of damage may not be known.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the .5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
By Len Phillips
The following specification is an example that will ensure that trees growing on a site, prior to construction, will have the best opportunity to thrive and continue growing into high value property assets. This tree protection specification is intended to guide a construction project to insure that appropriate practices will be implemented in the field to eliminate consequences of tree damage and death that may result from uninformed or careless acts, and conserve trees to be valuable property assets. Site specific variations may be necessary to conserve trees based on the site use, the space available, species, climate, construction design, and the existing conditions of the trees.
1. General Tree Protection Instructions
The objective of these tree protection instructions is to minimize the negative impacts of construction
activities on trees near the property under construction. With proper planning, many negative impacts to
trees can be avoided. Whenever possible, the placement of underground utilities and service connections
to new buildings shall be designed so that the proposed service lines are installed as far away from
existing and new trees as possible.
The municipality may have conditions, restrictions, and preservation requirements that limit the number of trees that can be removed on public and private property. The applicant shall learn the municipality rules and work to align the project within these requirements. A Tree Removal Permit shall be issued after the agency finds that all reasonable efforts have been undertaken in the architectural layout and design of the proposed development to preserve the existing trees. The Tree Removal Permit shall require replacement trees and/or compensation for the lost value of trees on or adjacent to the site under construction.
A) Building placement and driveway, walkways, and parking areas shall be designed in such a way as to avoid unnecessary removal of existing trees found worthy of conservation in health and structure. Preferably all access pavements and utilities shall be located in the same general vicinity to avoid excessive tree removals.
B) The proposed placement of all utility service lines, including irrigation and lighting, shall be shown on
the site and landscaping plans. Every effort shall be made to protect the existing trees during the
placement of utility service lines including the use of trenchless technology, auguring, and/or jacking as
opposed to open trench cutting. The landscape and irrigation plans shall demonstrate that every effort
was made to avoid damage to existing trees during installation of irrigation, lighting, and plants.
C) If the agency requirements are for canopy cover, or size and number of trees to be conserved on a site, the plans shall demonstrate how the project meets those requirements.
2. Tree Protection Required
A) An applicant shall protect the public trees as well as the private trees on the site under development.
B) An applicant shall submit a tree protection plan incorporating proposed tree protection measures for
any existing public trees and private trees on any site or construction project where improvements are proposed in compliance with this specification.
C) The construction plans shall identify any tree proposed for removal and shall provide explanation for the reason the tree must be removed.
D) The construction plans shall identify the protection measures for existing trees that might be damaged from proposed construction activities for all existing trees located on the property and adjacent public or private properties.
E) The applicant shall notify the Municipality within 24 hours of any suspected damage to trees resulting
from construction activities. If damage occurs during construction, the applicant shall have the
damaged tree repaired as quickly as possible. If the tree must be removed because it presents a risk or
is irreparably damaged, the appropriate mitigation shall be performed, either restoring the value of the
tree or agency replacement requirements on the property, or through mitigation fees.
3. Protection of Existing Trees on the Site
The Contractor must protect all designated trees on the construction site from damage in accordance with
the provisions of the Municipal Code and/or development requirements. The Contractor must restore all damaged public property and parkways to their original condition and repair or remove and replace any
trees and shrubs damaged as a result of construction activity on pubic property as determined by
the Municipality, at the Contractor’s expense. If any Municipality-owned trees or shrubs damaged by
construction activity must be removed and replaced, and trees or shrubs of comparable size, type, and
value are unavailable or the time for installation is unsuitable, the Municipality will charge Contractor their
appraised value determined by a qualified arborist, which amount the Municipality will deduct from amounts
due the Contractor, or, if no amounts are due, then Contractor must promptly pay the Municipality the
amounts determined. If any private trees damaged by construction activity must be removed and replaced,
and trees or shrubs of comparable size, type, and value are unavailable or the time for installation is
unsuitable, the property owner shall replace their appraised value as determined by a qualified arborist on
the property where the damage occurred prior to project acceptance.
At a minimum, any tree greater than 4" D.B.H. that is permanently damaged due to the construction project and not originally marked for removal shall be replaced with as many new trees, with proper spacing, that have a minimum of 4" (10 cm) caliper, to restore the value of the damaged tree. Any damaged tree smaller than 4" (10 cm) caliper measured 6" (15 cm) above the flare shall be replaced in kind, inch for inch. If the
site cannot accommodate the number of trees to be replaced, another nearby installation site or a payment
to a tree mitigation fund may be required.
A protection barrier or fence of at least 4 feet (1.2m) in height shall be installed around each tree or group of trees to be protected and preserved. The tree protection shall be installed prior to any construction
activities start and maintained for the duration of the project through the landscape phase. Construction
materials shall not be stored, nor shall equipment operated and/or temporary storage buildings or work
trailers be placed within this protection zone.
The protection barrier must be constructed of orange snow fencing or chain link fencing securely fastened
to fence posts spaced appropriately on-center to support the fence. The minimum allowable posts are 6
feet (1.8 m) in length with 2 feet (61 cm) set into the ground and 4 feet (1.2 m) extending above ground.
The fencing shall be securely attached to the post. Temporary chain link fence with on-surface bases may
be approved as protection barriers. The fencing shall be maintained throughout the construction process.
4. Public Shade Trees
The protection has to be related to the construction project. If repairing sidewalks adjacent to trees, the protection has to allow the work to proceed in a reasonable manner. If working on adjacent property and
the need is to protect the trees and installation pit soil, protective fencing should be in place around the installation pit prior to construction.
A) Trees located in Tree Pits – Where trees are located within tree pits, the fencing should be installed at a minimum distance of the inside dimension of the tree pit opening with a minimum of one stake at each corner of the opening, and spaced along sides where needed for stability in larger pits.
B) Trees located in boulevards or medians – Trees located in boulevards or streets shall have tree protection fencing installed out to the drip-line of the tree where the site allows. These locations shall be noted on the site plans for the proposed construction.
C) Alternatives to Tree Protection – Fencing may be approved and/or be required should existing conditions and/or proposed work warrant it (limited access to property etc.). Examples of alternatives
are:
1) Trunk protection boards tied around tree trunk with a constructed bridge over the root system of the tree. Area of the bridge will typically cover the area under the dripline for all trees.
2) Plywood instead of snow fencing may be required on projects with a large number of trees and/or where the Municipality determines that additional protection is required.
D) Pre-Construction Tree Pruning – Trees within the construction zone, that are to be preserved, shall
have their branches raised to an appropriate height to perform the work without breaking branches with construction equipment. Typical ranges are a minimum height of 12 feet (4 m) and a maximum of 20
feet (6.1m) if the tree crown is expected to conflict with construction equipment, or structures. All dead branches greater than one inch in diameter should be removed to reduce the risk of dead branch
failure to construction personnel.
All tree pruning shall be performed prior to the start of construction to prevent damage to trees being preserved and protected. Tree pruning must be performed so as to maintain natural tree form and retaining the largest foliar crowns possible. Heading cuts directly above the curb or a limit line is strictly prohibited. Only qualified tree maintenance companies will receive permit approval to perform pruning work on trees. A certified arborist or qualified tree worker shall perform all tree pruning work.
E) Root Pruning (prior to excavation) – Where the proposed back of curb, driveway or sidewalk edge is located 5 feet (1.5m) or less from the trunk of an existing tree, root pruning can be a critical operation. The farther from the tree trunk that the roots are cut, the lesser percentage of the root system will be removed. If possible, expose the roots prior to cutting. Roots can be exposed by carefully hand
digging, pneumatic or pressurized air excavation, and hydro or pressurized water excavation. If the tree
is a municipality-owned tree, a permit will be required to perform this work. Whenever roots of trees to
remain are exposed during construction, the root ends are to be cut off cleanly and the roots covered by
cloth and kept moist for as long as the root is exposed. When roots are to be removed during
excavation, the roots have to be cut on the tree-side of the trench prior to excavating the roots. This
limits the damage to the roots. If roots are torn out of the trench, the damage can be caused much
closer to the tree, and the extent of damage may not be known.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the .5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
TREE PRESERVATION ORDINANCES
By Len Phillips
Tree preservation ordinances have been developed to protect trees on private property. They are developed as a city ordinance, by-law, zoning article, or subdivision regulation.
Advantages
These ordinances are particularly useful in cities that are rapidly growing and have at least several subdivisions per year being built. The purpose of this ordinance is to:
Disadvantages
Many people, planners as well as environmentalists, feel that a tree preservation ordinance is one step too far toward “Big Brother” control and it hinders a person’s right to develop their land as they wish. However, where a tree preservation ordinance does exist, the majority of the citizens in the city have voted to allow their government the power to control development on private land in the interests of all its citizens usually through the city’s zoning regulations.
Zoning regulations set the precedent of a government’s desire to protect the community with controlled land development. Zoning controls land use, while the tree preservation ordinance is intended to protect the natural resources of a site during any construction period. If a site developer is willing to accept zoning regulations pertaining to the use of his land, the developer should also be willing to accept tree preservation regulations because they pertain to environmental protection during the development process and often save the developer time and money during the construction process as well as landscaping costs after construction.
Tree Ordinance
Tree Preservation Ordinances can vary from the very simple to very complex plans. A simple ordinance is similar to the ordinance used by the Village of Lake Grove, New York, which pertains to the removal of trees on a single lot. The Lake Grove law indicates that the building inspector must issue a permit to remove trees larger than a 4 inch caliper. This permit can be issued only when a tree is within a building area and interferes with construction. No other trees on the site can be removed unless approval has been obtained from the Planning Board.
Other ordinances can be quite complicated. The following sample tree preservation ordinance was written to serve as an amendment to a municipality’s zoning by-law or city ordinance.
Sample Tree Preservation Ordinance
This sample was originally written for Fulton County, Georgia, but has been edited slightly to make it more universally acceptable.
1) Intent: It is the intent of these regulations to provide standards for the preservation of trees as part of the land development and building construction process for the purpose of making City Name (hereafter called the City), a more attractive place to live, to protect the watercourses and ecology, provide a healthy living environment, and to better maintain control of flooding, noise, glare, and soil erosion. Any
development requiring the removal of trees, any grading, and all clearing operations requires a Land
Disturbance Permit before any work begins.
2) Benefits of Trees: Trees provide beneficial oxygen while reducing the levels of harmful carbon dioxide. They reduce air pollution, purify water, and stabilize the soil. Trees provide wildlife habitat and shade, cool
the land, reduce noise, and provide an aesthetic value to the land. The protection of trees throughout this
City is vital to the survival of our residents.
3) Definitions: As used in this ordinance, the following words shall have their respective meanings:
4) Applicability: The terms and provisions of the ordinance shall apply to any activity on real property sites of one acre or larger and any activity that requires the issuance of Land Disturbance Permit, wetlands
protection or conservation permit, building permit, or subdivision permit, within the City, but excluding the
construction of individual single family detached and duplex dwellings. No Land Disturbance Permit shall
be issued by the City without it being determined that the proposed development is in conformance with the
provisions of these regulations.
5) Permit Procedure: Any person wishing to develop a site in the City shall conform to the following procedures:
A) All applications for a Land Disturbance Permit shall provide a landscaping plan or other documentation as required below and applicable for all areas of the parcel being developed within a protected protected zone as part of an application for a Land Disturbance Permit submitted to the City.
B) All plans should contain the following information: shape and dimensions of the lot and proposed structures; precise location of all trees correctly identified, trees to remain, to be transplanted, and to be removed; procedures or techniques for the protection of existing trees during construction; location of setbacks according to Sec 6C; proposed grade changes; and all erosion control devices, site runoff
control and drainage problems.
C) All landscape plans and related documentation shall be reviewed by the Municipal Arborist for conformance to the provisions of this regulation and either approved, returned for revisions, or denied within 30 days of receipt. The Municipal Arborist should also have a set of guidelines or standards available to judge all plans and documents in a fair and reasonable manner. If denied, the reasons
for denial shall be annotated on the landscape plan or otherwise stated in writing.
D) Issuance of the Land Disturbance Permit shall constitute an approval of the required landscape plan and conformance to the provision of these regulations.
E) Fees shall be set by the City to oversee the administrative costs and shall be submitted with the
application.
6) Removal of Trees and Replacement Landscaping:
A) The first priority is to protect all trees on the site whenever possible. The trees to be saved should be protected with fences, boards, signs, ropes, etc., to protect the root zones as well as the tree trunks and branches. Transplantable trees in the non-protected zone should be moved into the protected area
either permanently or during the construction period for later moving to their permanent sites back in the construction area.
B) Trees are not to be removed from within the protected zone unless the owner/developer documents an economic hardship if the trees in the protected zone were to be preserved. Said documentation shall
be submitted as part of the application for a Land Disturbance Permit. Diseased or damage trees and
trees that pose a safety hazard to pedestrians, vehicles, buildings, utilities, or block access to the site
may be removed. Nothing in these regulations shall be construed to allow the removal of vegetation in
a natural, undisturbed buffer required by zoning regulations.
C) When no trees are present in the protected zone, or the exiting trees are unhealthy and not worth
saving, or when it is proposed that any portion of the protected zone be disturbed, it shall be the
responsibility of the owner/developer to plant these areas where improvements are not planned, with
trees or other plant materials subject to zoning regulations, or in lieu thereof, administrative standards
established by the City. The extent of landscaping shall be established by the City in terms of trees or
shrubs per 1,000 square feet, or per parking space, or building square feet, etc.
D) When grading is to occur outside of the buildable area on a parcel or where the buildable area leaves
no protected zone adjacent to a property line, landscaped areas shall be established along the
peripheral property lines unless zoning regulations require more. The landscape areas shall be
landscaped pursuant to zoning regulations or in lieu thereof, administrative standards established by the
Municipal Arborist. Hay bales and/or siltation fences shall be used to protect all disturbed areas from
soil erosion. The disturbed areas shall be seeded as soon as possible after disturbance to prevent
erosion.
E) Notwithstanding any of the other requirements of these regulations, it shall be unlawful to remove a specimen tree without the express written permission of the Municipal Arborist. Administrative
standards may be established by the arborist for the identification, preservation, and protection of
specimen trees.
F) This regulation does not apply to trees less than two inches in diameter, hazardous species as defined
by the Municipal Arborist, government employees operating in a declared emergency, nurseries growing trees and tree farms; nor does it require permits from public agencies and utility companies.
G) Prior to removal, all trees must be flagged and the clearing areas identified for field inspection by the Municipal Arborist or other approved representative of the City.
H) A “tree bank” may be set up by the City to receive any surplus trees that maybe desirable but have to be removed from the disturbed areas. These trees will be dug and replanted at City expense within 30
days of the date of the approved plan.
7) Enforcement: It shall be the duty of the Municipal Arborist to enforce this ordinance. The arborist shall
have the authority to revoke, suspend, or void the Land Disturbance Permit and shall have the authority to
suspend all work on a site or any portion thereof.
8) Violation and Penalty: No person shall remove any wood, trees, bushes, or other flora from any property within the City limits without the express written consent of the fee owner of the property. Any person, firm,
or corporation violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor
and subject to a $1,000 fine. Each day’s continuance of a violation and each tree removed shall be
considered a separate offense. The owner of any property wherein a violation exists, and any builder,
contractor, or agent, who may have assisted in the commission of any such violation, shall be guilty of a
separate offense. In addition, to the fine and/or one year in jail, the City would also have the ability to deny
that applicant any application for land use, development, or other activity on this site for a period of five
years.
9) Appeal: Any person aggrieved or affected by any decision of the Municipal Arborist related to the
application of these regulations may appeal to the City Zoning Board or City Council for relief or
reconsideration. The appeal by the person aggrieved or affected by any decision of the Municipal Arborist
related to the application of this regulation may be filed within 30 days of the decision.
Appeals shall only be granted for errors of interpretation or where the unique natural features of the site are such that application of these regulations would create an undue hardship to the property owner and in
other instances where an undue hardship is created for the owner of the property
Sources
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the .5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Utility Specialist, Municipal Specialist, Tree Worker Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
By Len Phillips
Tree preservation ordinances have been developed to protect trees on private property. They are developed as a city ordinance, by-law, zoning article, or subdivision regulation.
Advantages
These ordinances are particularly useful in cities that are rapidly growing and have at least several subdivisions per year being built. The purpose of this ordinance is to:
- insure that a given percent of forest is retained in new development projects,
- prevent the clear cutting of blocks of land that are useful for buffers, screening, or view enhancements,
- control runoff, soil erosion, and drainage problems flowing onto abutting land,
- minimize temperature elevation, decrease air pollution, and lower carbon dioxide levels on land that could become defoliated by development,
- protect and enhance the aesthetic values of a city on developable sites,
- enhance the value of the land and all its trees,
- educate developers as to the value of trees and how to protect and preserve them during construction,
- protect any mature and significant trees,
- define the permits, fees, penalties, and other legal requirements necessary to preserve the forest during the construction phase of a site development project.
Disadvantages
Many people, planners as well as environmentalists, feel that a tree preservation ordinance is one step too far toward “Big Brother” control and it hinders a person’s right to develop their land as they wish. However, where a tree preservation ordinance does exist, the majority of the citizens in the city have voted to allow their government the power to control development on private land in the interests of all its citizens usually through the city’s zoning regulations.
Zoning regulations set the precedent of a government’s desire to protect the community with controlled land development. Zoning controls land use, while the tree preservation ordinance is intended to protect the natural resources of a site during any construction period. If a site developer is willing to accept zoning regulations pertaining to the use of his land, the developer should also be willing to accept tree preservation regulations because they pertain to environmental protection during the development process and often save the developer time and money during the construction process as well as landscaping costs after construction.
Tree Ordinance
Tree Preservation Ordinances can vary from the very simple to very complex plans. A simple ordinance is similar to the ordinance used by the Village of Lake Grove, New York, which pertains to the removal of trees on a single lot. The Lake Grove law indicates that the building inspector must issue a permit to remove trees larger than a 4 inch caliper. This permit can be issued only when a tree is within a building area and interferes with construction. No other trees on the site can be removed unless approval has been obtained from the Planning Board.
Other ordinances can be quite complicated. The following sample tree preservation ordinance was written to serve as an amendment to a municipality’s zoning by-law or city ordinance.
Sample Tree Preservation Ordinance
This sample was originally written for Fulton County, Georgia, but has been edited slightly to make it more universally acceptable.
1) Intent: It is the intent of these regulations to provide standards for the preservation of trees as part of the land development and building construction process for the purpose of making City Name (hereafter called the City), a more attractive place to live, to protect the watercourses and ecology, provide a healthy living environment, and to better maintain control of flooding, noise, glare, and soil erosion. Any
development requiring the removal of trees, any grading, and all clearing operations requires a Land
Disturbance Permit before any work begins.
2) Benefits of Trees: Trees provide beneficial oxygen while reducing the levels of harmful carbon dioxide. They reduce air pollution, purify water, and stabilize the soil. Trees provide wildlife habitat and shade, cool
the land, reduce noise, and provide an aesthetic value to the land. The protection of trees throughout this
City is vital to the survival of our residents.
3) Definitions: As used in this ordinance, the following words shall have their respective meanings:
- Buildable area: That portion of a lot wherein a building may be located, not the portion of a lot which is located within any minimum required front, rear, or side yards, landscape areas, or buffer zones.
- Land Disturbance Permit (development permit or vegetation removal permit): A permit issued by the City that regulates and authorizes the commencement of development on a given tract of land.
- Landscape Plan: A plan that identifies areas of tree preservation and methods of tree protection within the no-build zone, as well as all areas of replanting. Within replanting areas, the common and botanical names of the proposed species, the number of plants of each species, the size of all plant materials, the location of all plant materials, and any unique features of the plant materials shall be indicated.
- Municipal Arborist (or other title appropriate for this City): The agent for the City having primary enforcement responsibilities under this ordinance and charged with the responsibility for approval of all landscape plans for Land Disturbance Permits in the City required pursuant to this ordinance.
- Protected Zone: All lands that fall outside of the buildable area of a parcel, all areas of the parcel required to remain in open space, and all areas required as landscaping strips according to the provisions of the City ordinance, zoning regulations, conditions of zoning approval, or the City‘s subdivision rules and regulations.
- Protected Tree: Any tree which has been determined by the Municipal Arborist to be of high value because of it’s type size, age, or other professional criteria, and has been so designated.
- Tree: Any self-supporting wood perennial plant which has a trunk diameter of 2 inches or greater measured a point 6 inches above the ground level and which normally obtains a height of at least 10 feet at maturity. Certain species (defined by the City), shall also be protected regardless of the size.
- Zoning Regulations (ordinance or subdivision rules): The City’s Zoning Regulations as amended or such other regulations subsequently adopted by the City Council, inclusive of conditions for zoning approval established by the City’s development review staff.
- All other terms – All other words or phrases as appropriate to the context of their uses shall be interpreted as defined elsewhere within the City’s regulations.
4) Applicability: The terms and provisions of the ordinance shall apply to any activity on real property sites of one acre or larger and any activity that requires the issuance of Land Disturbance Permit, wetlands
protection or conservation permit, building permit, or subdivision permit, within the City, but excluding the
construction of individual single family detached and duplex dwellings. No Land Disturbance Permit shall
be issued by the City without it being determined that the proposed development is in conformance with the
provisions of these regulations.
5) Permit Procedure: Any person wishing to develop a site in the City shall conform to the following procedures:
A) All applications for a Land Disturbance Permit shall provide a landscaping plan or other documentation as required below and applicable for all areas of the parcel being developed within a protected protected zone as part of an application for a Land Disturbance Permit submitted to the City.
B) All plans should contain the following information: shape and dimensions of the lot and proposed structures; precise location of all trees correctly identified, trees to remain, to be transplanted, and to be removed; procedures or techniques for the protection of existing trees during construction; location of setbacks according to Sec 6C; proposed grade changes; and all erosion control devices, site runoff
control and drainage problems.
C) All landscape plans and related documentation shall be reviewed by the Municipal Arborist for conformance to the provisions of this regulation and either approved, returned for revisions, or denied within 30 days of receipt. The Municipal Arborist should also have a set of guidelines or standards available to judge all plans and documents in a fair and reasonable manner. If denied, the reasons
for denial shall be annotated on the landscape plan or otherwise stated in writing.
D) Issuance of the Land Disturbance Permit shall constitute an approval of the required landscape plan and conformance to the provision of these regulations.
E) Fees shall be set by the City to oversee the administrative costs and shall be submitted with the
application.
6) Removal of Trees and Replacement Landscaping:
A) The first priority is to protect all trees on the site whenever possible. The trees to be saved should be protected with fences, boards, signs, ropes, etc., to protect the root zones as well as the tree trunks and branches. Transplantable trees in the non-protected zone should be moved into the protected area
either permanently or during the construction period for later moving to their permanent sites back in the construction area.
B) Trees are not to be removed from within the protected zone unless the owner/developer documents an economic hardship if the trees in the protected zone were to be preserved. Said documentation shall
be submitted as part of the application for a Land Disturbance Permit. Diseased or damage trees and
trees that pose a safety hazard to pedestrians, vehicles, buildings, utilities, or block access to the site
may be removed. Nothing in these regulations shall be construed to allow the removal of vegetation in
a natural, undisturbed buffer required by zoning regulations.
C) When no trees are present in the protected zone, or the exiting trees are unhealthy and not worth
saving, or when it is proposed that any portion of the protected zone be disturbed, it shall be the
responsibility of the owner/developer to plant these areas where improvements are not planned, with
trees or other plant materials subject to zoning regulations, or in lieu thereof, administrative standards
established by the City. The extent of landscaping shall be established by the City in terms of trees or
shrubs per 1,000 square feet, or per parking space, or building square feet, etc.
D) When grading is to occur outside of the buildable area on a parcel or where the buildable area leaves
no protected zone adjacent to a property line, landscaped areas shall be established along the
peripheral property lines unless zoning regulations require more. The landscape areas shall be
landscaped pursuant to zoning regulations or in lieu thereof, administrative standards established by the
Municipal Arborist. Hay bales and/or siltation fences shall be used to protect all disturbed areas from
soil erosion. The disturbed areas shall be seeded as soon as possible after disturbance to prevent
erosion.
E) Notwithstanding any of the other requirements of these regulations, it shall be unlawful to remove a specimen tree without the express written permission of the Municipal Arborist. Administrative
standards may be established by the arborist for the identification, preservation, and protection of
specimen trees.
F) This regulation does not apply to trees less than two inches in diameter, hazardous species as defined
by the Municipal Arborist, government employees operating in a declared emergency, nurseries growing trees and tree farms; nor does it require permits from public agencies and utility companies.
G) Prior to removal, all trees must be flagged and the clearing areas identified for field inspection by the Municipal Arborist or other approved representative of the City.
H) A “tree bank” may be set up by the City to receive any surplus trees that maybe desirable but have to be removed from the disturbed areas. These trees will be dug and replanted at City expense within 30
days of the date of the approved plan.
7) Enforcement: It shall be the duty of the Municipal Arborist to enforce this ordinance. The arborist shall
have the authority to revoke, suspend, or void the Land Disturbance Permit and shall have the authority to
suspend all work on a site or any portion thereof.
8) Violation and Penalty: No person shall remove any wood, trees, bushes, or other flora from any property within the City limits without the express written consent of the fee owner of the property. Any person, firm,
or corporation violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor
and subject to a $1,000 fine. Each day’s continuance of a violation and each tree removed shall be
considered a separate offense. The owner of any property wherein a violation exists, and any builder,
contractor, or agent, who may have assisted in the commission of any such violation, shall be guilty of a
separate offense. In addition, to the fine and/or one year in jail, the City would also have the ability to deny
that applicant any application for land use, development, or other activity on this site for a period of five
years.
9) Appeal: Any person aggrieved or affected by any decision of the Municipal Arborist related to the
application of these regulations may appeal to the City Zoning Board or City Council for relief or
reconsideration. The appeal by the person aggrieved or affected by any decision of the Municipal Arborist
related to the application of this regulation may be filed within 30 days of the decision.
Appeals shall only be granted for errors of interpretation or where the unique natural features of the site are such that application of these regulations would create an undue hardship to the property owner and in
other instances where an undue hardship is created for the owner of the property
Sources
- ACRT, “Street Tree Inventory and Management Plan for Huntsville, AL”, Ohio, 1989.
- Village of Lake Grove, NY, ‘Village Ordinance”, 1990.
- “Fulton County Tree Preservation Ordinance and Administrative Guidelines”, January 2003.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the .5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Utility Specialist, Municipal Specialist, Tree Worker Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Creating a Tree Risk Management Plan
By Gordon Mann
Editor's Note: In the last Seminar, Gordon provided a definition of tree risk management. In this article, he goes to the next step and describes the requirements for creating a Tree Risk Management Plan.
Creating a tree risk management plan involves the identification and assessment of the tree population to be considered. The risk assessment consists of identifying and inspecting the subject trees to analyze for risk.
A risk assessment is different from a full inventory. In a full inventory, every tree will be listed and some information collected. In a risk assessment, the list should only include those trees that are found to have a level of extreme, high, or moderate risk. These are the trees that should have mitigation options to reduce risk. Trees with low or limited risk will be inspected and are generally not be considered for active discussion at the time the risk management plan is implemented. Low risk trees generally don’t require any short term mitigation. Along with identifying the risk, the most important element of a risk assessment is the mitigation options which are the steps to reduce or eliminate risk in the trees identified to have extreme, high or moderate risk.
Tree Risk Assessment Rating Systems
The two most common rating systems used for tree risk in the US have been the PNW-ISA TRACE and Matheny and Clark's qualitative numeric 12-point system that considers 3 components, and adding together numbers for:
(1) the size of the tree part,
(2) the likelihood of failure or incident, and
(3) the target being struck.
These assigned numbers are categorizations and not quantifiable to be added together to develop an overall risk rating. Also, the 12 point systems do not include conflicts.
The system of primary consideration in the 2011 ISA Tree Risk Assessment Best Management Practices (BMP) is the Matrix Based Qualitative approach to Tree Risk management. It considers 7 steps in developing a risk rating:
1. Identify possible targets and conflicts.
2. Identify tree parts that could strike the target, or identify the tree part causing the conflict.
3. Evaluate the likelihood for each part to fail, or the likelihood of conflict.
4. Evaluate the likelihood for each part to strike a target.
5. For each failure mode, identify likelihood for tree failure impacting a specified target.
6. For each failure mode, estimate consequences of failure.
7. For each failure mode, designate the risk.
In each step above, conflicts are to be considered along with the failues in the site inspections. Many trees may have one potential conflict and/or failure, or multiple conflicts and/or failures. A tree can contain both very high and low risk with different identified issues, and mitigation. The critical step is not simply rating the tree, but defining the mitigation options and actions to reduce the risk. Just listing trees based on the rating score without understanding what mitigation is available to reduce the risk does not provide the tree manager the tools needed to make sound risk reduction decisions.
Most people focus on the risk of tree part or whole tree failure. In my experience, there are usually more conflicts in a community’s tree population than high risk structural issues. While observing structural issues and their mitigation options is a primary arborist function, conflict mitigation is often simpler and more trees may be retained with lesser residual risk when mitigating conflicts. For example, many small low branches may cause an eye-level poking risk on a school campus, but can be easily mitigated by pruning. There may be options to mitigate sidewalk offset conflicts by grinding or ramping offset sidewalks.
It is important to gain as much site information as possible to assess the risk. For example: a school district tree impacted a water line that cost $38,000 to repair before my risk assessment was scheduled. This tree was still on the manager’s list of concerns while we were looking at all the trees on the property. I would not have known there were any underground pipe issues; the tree looked normal, the water line was repaired, and the site restored, the extent of root removal was not evident, and the tree was not showing signs of decline, even though significant roots were pruned during the pipe repair. The information about the root cutting raised the tree’s risk rating during the assessment.
Tree Risk BMP
Using the ISA’s 2011 Tree Risk BMP, managers base decisions on the identified risk. The risk rating matrices are used to determine the level of risk present. A situation with a low branch over a walkway could be high to extreme risk, and easily mitigated while retaining the tree. If the tree had a high impact clearance issue and a high dead branch over a walk or parking area, the tree would have both high risk and moderate risk. The risk manager may choose to prune the low branch to obtain clearance and mitigate the high risk, and not climb to prune the dead branch, because another tree under their control has a higher risk and priority to expend their limited resources on.
Risk is rated in four terms in the BMP, Extreme, High, Moderate, and Low, which can be used to sort the trees in the order of highest risk. Based on risk and mitigation options, a tree owner or site manager, can view the risk present on their site. I rarely list low risk trees unless it is specifically requested in the assignment because usually mitigation cannot reduce the risk lower than low.
Prioritization of Tree Risk
Most site managers have limited resources, and the risk assessment will generally require some prioritization to assist the site manager to reduce risk. The prioritization is usually based on the consideration of use and targets, and likeliness of incident, and the cost of mitigation. The size of the part, height, and location (both in the tree and over targets) are generally considered in the consequences of failure. The owner may have the resources to mitigate all risk found on a site. In that case, prioritization may only affect the order of how some of the work is scheduled.
When resources are limited, I find most property managers consider mitigating the extreme risk first, then high risk, then maybe moderate. The basis of their decisions is mitigating the highest risk first, then addressing the next highest risk, and so on with the available resources.
Risk Factors
One approach to sort the risk and assist the site manager in making decisions is to create prioritized numerical risk factors, and sort the trees by the risk factor. Some trees will have more than one risk factor, and still should be sorted by the highest risk factor while listing the other lower risk factors. Unless mitigation of the highest risk factor is by tree removal, the higher risk mitigation often can be performed, and the lower risk mitigation may be delayed until resources allow; or maybe the lower risk is acceptable, for now.
Trees may be prioritized by numerical risk factors 1, 2, and 3 based on the targets, use frequency, and situation.
1. Risk factor 1 trees are the very high or extreme risk situations.
2. Risk factor 2 trees are high risk situations.
3. Risk factor 3 trees are moderate risk situations.
Low risk situations are not considered unless the site owner requests an inventory and risk assessment for all trees. If an owner does not want any risk, they may not want any trees.
The risk factors 1-3 are used to sort and prioritize the mitigation work. Risk Factor 1 trees should be considered first for mitigation, then Risk Factor 2 trees, and then Risk Factor 3 trees. If the agency has limited funds, the risk factor 1 trees may be all or partially what they can afford to mitigate. If they cannot perform all the risk factor 1 trees, they may need to prioritize which trees are addressed first. This is a management decision. Since the process is managing risk, the decisions have to consider the site use and risk, the mitigation, and the available resources.
The risk factors may be helpful in future re-assessments, since those trees with previous risk issues can be re-checked to see if the risk has increased as the tree has grown or declined.
Residual Risk
After mitigation is performed, there usually will be some risk remaining in the tree. The risk management approach is to lower the risk to an acceptable level, and the residual risk is tolerable. As long as the residual risk does not exceed the tolerable risk threshold, the risk has been managed.
Dealing with Risk
Once the risk mitigation options are available, the tree owner can put the work out to bid, or schedule the work with available in-house or contract crews. The amount of mitigation that can be accomplished with available resources is known, and risk is being managed.
Some insights to the mitigation and prioritization of the work include figuring out the simplest way to mitigate the risk without removing every tree. Generally pruning can remove weak and dead branches, and clearance conflicts that may pose high risk. Another example of reducing cost in mitigation is to reduce a long large co-dominant stem to an acceptable height, when possible, instead of removing it completely. Reducing height reduces leverage and should cost less than the full stem removal and disposal.
The other advantage of using the Risk Factor system is a tree can have both a risk factor 1 and 3. The 1 may be a large hanging branch over a busy walkway. The branch can be pulled down or pruned off, and the tree now has a lower 3 rating, and the cost of mitigation was simple and low.
Training to Recognize Risk
Training of staff to recognize advanced risk issues requires some experience working in trees, some knowledge of tree species, and an understanding of what is normal, and what is not normal in trees. An observant person can be trained to identify conflicts, obvious risk issues, and which issues require the assistance of a more knowledgeable arborist.
Simple standards such as clearance heights, sight-distance needs, and level walking surfaces will cover most conflicts. Understanding a species propensity for included bark, tight branch attachment angles, long heavy branches, different decay issues and root issues, differences in growth and bark characteristics, how long a dead branch can remain in the species before failing; and targets, use, and conflict issues, will all assist in making sound risk assessments. Much of this comes with experience. Some site inspections require minor excavation to see the flare on a tree, buttressing roots, or check for a lower bole cavity. Other times a cavity may require insertion of a probe to learn how much decayed wood is present. These can be part of a Level 2 Basic visual inspection as listed in ANSI A300 Part 9. The need for full root crown excavations or additional decay detection would be part of a Level 3 Advanced assessment.
Risk managers should establish inspection procedures, time lines, and understand mitigation options. The goal of most risk managers is not to eliminate risk; it is to understand, manage, and mitigate the risk to an acceptable level with the available resources.
On a final note, I recommend that all arborists read the ISA Tree Risk Assessment BMP and the ANSI A300 Part 9 Tree Risk Management standard.
Gordon Mann is an ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist, an ISA Certified Arborist and Municipal Specialist, TRAQ Qualified Tree Risk Assessor, and urban forestry consultant in Auburn, CA. He is the SMA ANSI A300 Committee alternate and a Director on the ISA Board.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
By Gordon Mann
Editor's Note: In the last Seminar, Gordon provided a definition of tree risk management. In this article, he goes to the next step and describes the requirements for creating a Tree Risk Management Plan.
Creating a tree risk management plan involves the identification and assessment of the tree population to be considered. The risk assessment consists of identifying and inspecting the subject trees to analyze for risk.
A risk assessment is different from a full inventory. In a full inventory, every tree will be listed and some information collected. In a risk assessment, the list should only include those trees that are found to have a level of extreme, high, or moderate risk. These are the trees that should have mitigation options to reduce risk. Trees with low or limited risk will be inspected and are generally not be considered for active discussion at the time the risk management plan is implemented. Low risk trees generally don’t require any short term mitigation. Along with identifying the risk, the most important element of a risk assessment is the mitigation options which are the steps to reduce or eliminate risk in the trees identified to have extreme, high or moderate risk.
Tree Risk Assessment Rating Systems
The two most common rating systems used for tree risk in the US have been the PNW-ISA TRACE and Matheny and Clark's qualitative numeric 12-point system that considers 3 components, and adding together numbers for:
(1) the size of the tree part,
(2) the likelihood of failure or incident, and
(3) the target being struck.
These assigned numbers are categorizations and not quantifiable to be added together to develop an overall risk rating. Also, the 12 point systems do not include conflicts.
The system of primary consideration in the 2011 ISA Tree Risk Assessment Best Management Practices (BMP) is the Matrix Based Qualitative approach to Tree Risk management. It considers 7 steps in developing a risk rating:
1. Identify possible targets and conflicts.
2. Identify tree parts that could strike the target, or identify the tree part causing the conflict.
3. Evaluate the likelihood for each part to fail, or the likelihood of conflict.
4. Evaluate the likelihood for each part to strike a target.
5. For each failure mode, identify likelihood for tree failure impacting a specified target.
6. For each failure mode, estimate consequences of failure.
7. For each failure mode, designate the risk.
In each step above, conflicts are to be considered along with the failues in the site inspections. Many trees may have one potential conflict and/or failure, or multiple conflicts and/or failures. A tree can contain both very high and low risk with different identified issues, and mitigation. The critical step is not simply rating the tree, but defining the mitigation options and actions to reduce the risk. Just listing trees based on the rating score without understanding what mitigation is available to reduce the risk does not provide the tree manager the tools needed to make sound risk reduction decisions.
Most people focus on the risk of tree part or whole tree failure. In my experience, there are usually more conflicts in a community’s tree population than high risk structural issues. While observing structural issues and their mitigation options is a primary arborist function, conflict mitigation is often simpler and more trees may be retained with lesser residual risk when mitigating conflicts. For example, many small low branches may cause an eye-level poking risk on a school campus, but can be easily mitigated by pruning. There may be options to mitigate sidewalk offset conflicts by grinding or ramping offset sidewalks.
It is important to gain as much site information as possible to assess the risk. For example: a school district tree impacted a water line that cost $38,000 to repair before my risk assessment was scheduled. This tree was still on the manager’s list of concerns while we were looking at all the trees on the property. I would not have known there were any underground pipe issues; the tree looked normal, the water line was repaired, and the site restored, the extent of root removal was not evident, and the tree was not showing signs of decline, even though significant roots were pruned during the pipe repair. The information about the root cutting raised the tree’s risk rating during the assessment.
Tree Risk BMP
Using the ISA’s 2011 Tree Risk BMP, managers base decisions on the identified risk. The risk rating matrices are used to determine the level of risk present. A situation with a low branch over a walkway could be high to extreme risk, and easily mitigated while retaining the tree. If the tree had a high impact clearance issue and a high dead branch over a walk or parking area, the tree would have both high risk and moderate risk. The risk manager may choose to prune the low branch to obtain clearance and mitigate the high risk, and not climb to prune the dead branch, because another tree under their control has a higher risk and priority to expend their limited resources on.
Risk is rated in four terms in the BMP, Extreme, High, Moderate, and Low, which can be used to sort the trees in the order of highest risk. Based on risk and mitigation options, a tree owner or site manager, can view the risk present on their site. I rarely list low risk trees unless it is specifically requested in the assignment because usually mitigation cannot reduce the risk lower than low.
Prioritization of Tree Risk
Most site managers have limited resources, and the risk assessment will generally require some prioritization to assist the site manager to reduce risk. The prioritization is usually based on the consideration of use and targets, and likeliness of incident, and the cost of mitigation. The size of the part, height, and location (both in the tree and over targets) are generally considered in the consequences of failure. The owner may have the resources to mitigate all risk found on a site. In that case, prioritization may only affect the order of how some of the work is scheduled.
When resources are limited, I find most property managers consider mitigating the extreme risk first, then high risk, then maybe moderate. The basis of their decisions is mitigating the highest risk first, then addressing the next highest risk, and so on with the available resources.
Risk Factors
One approach to sort the risk and assist the site manager in making decisions is to create prioritized numerical risk factors, and sort the trees by the risk factor. Some trees will have more than one risk factor, and still should be sorted by the highest risk factor while listing the other lower risk factors. Unless mitigation of the highest risk factor is by tree removal, the higher risk mitigation often can be performed, and the lower risk mitigation may be delayed until resources allow; or maybe the lower risk is acceptable, for now.
Trees may be prioritized by numerical risk factors 1, 2, and 3 based on the targets, use frequency, and situation.
1. Risk factor 1 trees are the very high or extreme risk situations.
2. Risk factor 2 trees are high risk situations.
3. Risk factor 3 trees are moderate risk situations.
Low risk situations are not considered unless the site owner requests an inventory and risk assessment for all trees. If an owner does not want any risk, they may not want any trees.
The risk factors 1-3 are used to sort and prioritize the mitigation work. Risk Factor 1 trees should be considered first for mitigation, then Risk Factor 2 trees, and then Risk Factor 3 trees. If the agency has limited funds, the risk factor 1 trees may be all or partially what they can afford to mitigate. If they cannot perform all the risk factor 1 trees, they may need to prioritize which trees are addressed first. This is a management decision. Since the process is managing risk, the decisions have to consider the site use and risk, the mitigation, and the available resources.
The risk factors may be helpful in future re-assessments, since those trees with previous risk issues can be re-checked to see if the risk has increased as the tree has grown or declined.
Residual Risk
After mitigation is performed, there usually will be some risk remaining in the tree. The risk management approach is to lower the risk to an acceptable level, and the residual risk is tolerable. As long as the residual risk does not exceed the tolerable risk threshold, the risk has been managed.
Dealing with Risk
Once the risk mitigation options are available, the tree owner can put the work out to bid, or schedule the work with available in-house or contract crews. The amount of mitigation that can be accomplished with available resources is known, and risk is being managed.
Some insights to the mitigation and prioritization of the work include figuring out the simplest way to mitigate the risk without removing every tree. Generally pruning can remove weak and dead branches, and clearance conflicts that may pose high risk. Another example of reducing cost in mitigation is to reduce a long large co-dominant stem to an acceptable height, when possible, instead of removing it completely. Reducing height reduces leverage and should cost less than the full stem removal and disposal.
The other advantage of using the Risk Factor system is a tree can have both a risk factor 1 and 3. The 1 may be a large hanging branch over a busy walkway. The branch can be pulled down or pruned off, and the tree now has a lower 3 rating, and the cost of mitigation was simple and low.
Training to Recognize Risk
Training of staff to recognize advanced risk issues requires some experience working in trees, some knowledge of tree species, and an understanding of what is normal, and what is not normal in trees. An observant person can be trained to identify conflicts, obvious risk issues, and which issues require the assistance of a more knowledgeable arborist.
Simple standards such as clearance heights, sight-distance needs, and level walking surfaces will cover most conflicts. Understanding a species propensity for included bark, tight branch attachment angles, long heavy branches, different decay issues and root issues, differences in growth and bark characteristics, how long a dead branch can remain in the species before failing; and targets, use, and conflict issues, will all assist in making sound risk assessments. Much of this comes with experience. Some site inspections require minor excavation to see the flare on a tree, buttressing roots, or check for a lower bole cavity. Other times a cavity may require insertion of a probe to learn how much decayed wood is present. These can be part of a Level 2 Basic visual inspection as listed in ANSI A300 Part 9. The need for full root crown excavations or additional decay detection would be part of a Level 3 Advanced assessment.
Risk managers should establish inspection procedures, time lines, and understand mitigation options. The goal of most risk managers is not to eliminate risk; it is to understand, manage, and mitigate the risk to an acceptable level with the available resources.
On a final note, I recommend that all arborists read the ISA Tree Risk Assessment BMP and the ANSI A300 Part 9 Tree Risk Management standard.
Gordon Mann is an ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist, an ISA Certified Arborist and Municipal Specialist, TRAQ Qualified Tree Risk Assessor, and urban forestry consultant in Auburn, CA. He is the SMA ANSI A300 Committee alternate and a Director on the ISA Board.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Regulating Removal of Private Trees
Edited by Len Phillips
Commonly called a private tree bylaw, this regulation is intended to encourage awareness of trees, best practices for regulating removals, and encouraging replacement trees with cultivars of native species approximating the size and character of the trees being removed. This draft regulation has taken the essence from many community regulations and combined them into a single document that indicates the minimum requirements a private tree regulation should contain. Users of this regulation must modify it to reflect their individual community and its attitude toward private trees.
Pros and Cons
For the regulation to pass through all the various municipal agencies before it becomes a bylaw, the community must have a robust desire to regulate public as well as privately owned trees. In addition, the effort to develop and approve this bylaw, must be done in cooperation with other municipal regulations and departments in order to obtain a community-wide vote of approval. A decision must also be made to determine if this bylaw should be placed in the general laws of the municipality or whether it should be part of the zoning bylaw.
SAMPLE REGULATION
What follows is a sample regulation that provides the most important features to consider in a permit to remove trees on private property. It is suggested that the sources to this article, listed at the end be reviewed for additional information and items that might be useful to include in a proposed regulation.
Permit Requirement
A permit is required to remove, cut down, or in any other way injure a tree with a diameter of __ inches (suggest 8 in.) (20 cm) or the approximate thickness of a telephone pole) or larger on private property. The tree diameter measurement must be taken at 4.5 feet (1.4 m) (approximately at chest height) above ground level. It applies to trees on all land use types including single family and other residential, commercial, industrial, and public properties. Up to __ number of trees per year may be removed from a property with an approved permit. (Note: tree size and blank spaces __ may vary according to local preference).
Permit applications and instructions are available at the __ (Arborist’s) office and on the community's website.
Permit Exemptions
A tree that is dead, downed, terminally diseased or imminently hazardous does not require a permit. However, the applicant must send a detailed report and receive approval from the community's arborist before proceeding with the actual tree removal work. A permit is not required for routine pruning or trimming of a tree to maintain its health and natural habit.
Application for a Permit
The following items must be submitted with all permit applications:
1. a completed and dated Permit Application form that describes each tree.
2. a completed Owner's Authorization form - if the owner has not signed the Permit Application
3. a detailed Arborist Report that may include parts of item #1.
4. provide a map of the property with tree(s) clearly indicated and numbered on the map.
5. a Landscape/Replanting Plan may be prepared by the homeowner or a professional arborist or a landscape
architect.
6. Tree Protection Plan must be prepared (as applicable) to show protection for trees that are not being removed.
7. Site Plans – for applications which involve building construction, all existing and replacement trees must be
accurately plotted on the Site Plan.
8. The Permit Application Fee is $__ per tree to be removed.
9. The application and fees must be presented at the __ office.
10. You may not proceed with the removal of the tree(s) until you have received a permit of approval to proceed.
Permit Process
Once an application has been filed, the Arborist will perform a site visit to inspect the tree(s). If the Arborist determines that the tree is healthy, there will be a public hearing date set up for comments about the proposed tree removal. There is an additional requirement for the applicant to post a sign on each tree being removed for a two-week period prior to the public hearing on the removal. This sign is intended to notify the neighborhood and invite comments and attendance at a public hearing to be held for the discussion about the tree removals. Some communities will require newspaper legal notices of the public hearing. In these cases, the applicant is required to pay the advertising costs.
Any and all comments are collected for the purpose of providing them to the Arborist. In the event of a permit denial, these comments shall be submitted by the arborist to the community's council, who will oversee the appeal. The applicant, along with interested parties are allowed to address the community's council when the appeal is being considered.
Permits of approval for the tree removal should be posted on the property in plain sight for up to 3 days before cutting occurs. Permits are valid for 90 days.
Appeal of Permit Denial
Appeal requests are lodged with the Arborist's office. The Arborist makes the arrangements for appeal, including preparing a report for community's council and informing the applicant of the meeting schedule.
Fines for illegal tree removal
A person convicted of illegal tree removal is subject to a minimum fine of $__ and a maximum fine of $__ per tree involved in an offense.
Fees
The following fees will be determined by the local community:
1. Non-Construction-related permit applications: fee per tree (with no maximum). $__
2. Construction-related permit applications: fee per tree (with no maximum and usually higher than the non-
construction permit). $__
3. Permit application fees are non-refundable and payable at the time of initial application. Costs for advertising
an appeal, if necessary, is to be paid by the applicant.
4. Completing and submitting a permit application for tree injury or destruction does not guarantee that a permit
will be granted.
Note: Payment must be in the form of a certified check, bank draft, or a debit or credit card.
Street Trees
Some trees typically within 10 feet of a roadway, may actually be on public property and shall not be removed except by the community arborist. However, homeowners may request the tree in question be “condemned” by the arborist who will perform a site inspection to determine if it is a public shade tree or not, and whether removal is needed.
Emergency Removals
There are several ways to deal with emergency situations. An emergency permit request can be filed with the arborist. The arborist will have 24 hours (one working day) to perform a site inspection. If approved, the Arborist will contact the land owner directly to determine a course of action.
Alternatively, if a private tree has fallen or is in immediate danger of falling onto a building or utility line or onto the ground, it may be removed without waiting for a permit approval. In this case, the homeowner must still file for a permit post-fact, within 5 days of the emergency tree removal. There is still a $___fee per tree when applying, and please indicate on the application that it was an emergency removal. The applicant must provide photo documentation of the tree. An arborist report will also be required if the tree has not fallen but was removed in order to determination whether or not the tree is considered a "danger tree."
SAMPLE APPLICATION
1. Date
2. Property Address
3. Is this property part of any historic or other special district?
4. Has this property been purchased or the title transferred in the past 18 months?
5. Is this property for sale now?
6. Contact information of property owner: Phone number, Email
7. Reason for tree removal:
a. Tree is dead, per qualified professional assessment.
b. Tree is diseased, per qualified professional assessment.
c. Tree has been determined to be hazardous by a qualified professional.
8. Qualified tree care professional's information:
Name
Phone Number
Email
Certification Number
Description of tree(s) by homeowner or qualified professional: DBH, Species, Location of Tree on
Property, Reason for Removal
9. Planting __ new trees to meet the no net loss canopy requirement
Sources
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
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All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
Commonly called a private tree bylaw, this regulation is intended to encourage awareness of trees, best practices for regulating removals, and encouraging replacement trees with cultivars of native species approximating the size and character of the trees being removed. This draft regulation has taken the essence from many community regulations and combined them into a single document that indicates the minimum requirements a private tree regulation should contain. Users of this regulation must modify it to reflect their individual community and its attitude toward private trees.
Pros and Cons
For the regulation to pass through all the various municipal agencies before it becomes a bylaw, the community must have a robust desire to regulate public as well as privately owned trees. In addition, the effort to develop and approve this bylaw, must be done in cooperation with other municipal regulations and departments in order to obtain a community-wide vote of approval. A decision must also be made to determine if this bylaw should be placed in the general laws of the municipality or whether it should be part of the zoning bylaw.
SAMPLE REGULATION
What follows is a sample regulation that provides the most important features to consider in a permit to remove trees on private property. It is suggested that the sources to this article, listed at the end be reviewed for additional information and items that might be useful to include in a proposed regulation.
Permit Requirement
A permit is required to remove, cut down, or in any other way injure a tree with a diameter of __ inches (suggest 8 in.) (20 cm) or the approximate thickness of a telephone pole) or larger on private property. The tree diameter measurement must be taken at 4.5 feet (1.4 m) (approximately at chest height) above ground level. It applies to trees on all land use types including single family and other residential, commercial, industrial, and public properties. Up to __ number of trees per year may be removed from a property with an approved permit. (Note: tree size and blank spaces __ may vary according to local preference).
Permit applications and instructions are available at the __ (Arborist’s) office and on the community's website.
Permit Exemptions
A tree that is dead, downed, terminally diseased or imminently hazardous does not require a permit. However, the applicant must send a detailed report and receive approval from the community's arborist before proceeding with the actual tree removal work. A permit is not required for routine pruning or trimming of a tree to maintain its health and natural habit.
Application for a Permit
The following items must be submitted with all permit applications:
1. a completed and dated Permit Application form that describes each tree.
2. a completed Owner's Authorization form - if the owner has not signed the Permit Application
3. a detailed Arborist Report that may include parts of item #1.
4. provide a map of the property with tree(s) clearly indicated and numbered on the map.
5. a Landscape/Replanting Plan may be prepared by the homeowner or a professional arborist or a landscape
architect.
6. Tree Protection Plan must be prepared (as applicable) to show protection for trees that are not being removed.
7. Site Plans – for applications which involve building construction, all existing and replacement trees must be
accurately plotted on the Site Plan.
8. The Permit Application Fee is $__ per tree to be removed.
9. The application and fees must be presented at the __ office.
10. You may not proceed with the removal of the tree(s) until you have received a permit of approval to proceed.
Permit Process
Once an application has been filed, the Arborist will perform a site visit to inspect the tree(s). If the Arborist determines that the tree is healthy, there will be a public hearing date set up for comments about the proposed tree removal. There is an additional requirement for the applicant to post a sign on each tree being removed for a two-week period prior to the public hearing on the removal. This sign is intended to notify the neighborhood and invite comments and attendance at a public hearing to be held for the discussion about the tree removals. Some communities will require newspaper legal notices of the public hearing. In these cases, the applicant is required to pay the advertising costs.
Any and all comments are collected for the purpose of providing them to the Arborist. In the event of a permit denial, these comments shall be submitted by the arborist to the community's council, who will oversee the appeal. The applicant, along with interested parties are allowed to address the community's council when the appeal is being considered.
Permits of approval for the tree removal should be posted on the property in plain sight for up to 3 days before cutting occurs. Permits are valid for 90 days.
Appeal of Permit Denial
Appeal requests are lodged with the Arborist's office. The Arborist makes the arrangements for appeal, including preparing a report for community's council and informing the applicant of the meeting schedule.
Fines for illegal tree removal
A person convicted of illegal tree removal is subject to a minimum fine of $__ and a maximum fine of $__ per tree involved in an offense.
Fees
The following fees will be determined by the local community:
1. Non-Construction-related permit applications: fee per tree (with no maximum). $__
2. Construction-related permit applications: fee per tree (with no maximum and usually higher than the non-
construction permit). $__
3. Permit application fees are non-refundable and payable at the time of initial application. Costs for advertising
an appeal, if necessary, is to be paid by the applicant.
4. Completing and submitting a permit application for tree injury or destruction does not guarantee that a permit
will be granted.
Note: Payment must be in the form of a certified check, bank draft, or a debit or credit card.
Street Trees
Some trees typically within 10 feet of a roadway, may actually be on public property and shall not be removed except by the community arborist. However, homeowners may request the tree in question be “condemned” by the arborist who will perform a site inspection to determine if it is a public shade tree or not, and whether removal is needed.
Emergency Removals
There are several ways to deal with emergency situations. An emergency permit request can be filed with the arborist. The arborist will have 24 hours (one working day) to perform a site inspection. If approved, the Arborist will contact the land owner directly to determine a course of action.
Alternatively, if a private tree has fallen or is in immediate danger of falling onto a building or utility line or onto the ground, it may be removed without waiting for a permit approval. In this case, the homeowner must still file for a permit post-fact, within 5 days of the emergency tree removal. There is still a $___fee per tree when applying, and please indicate on the application that it was an emergency removal. The applicant must provide photo documentation of the tree. An arborist report will also be required if the tree has not fallen but was removed in order to determination whether or not the tree is considered a "danger tree."
SAMPLE APPLICATION
1. Date
2. Property Address
3. Is this property part of any historic or other special district?
4. Has this property been purchased or the title transferred in the past 18 months?
5. Is this property for sale now?
6. Contact information of property owner: Phone number, Email
7. Reason for tree removal:
a. Tree is dead, per qualified professional assessment.
b. Tree is diseased, per qualified professional assessment.
c. Tree has been determined to be hazardous by a qualified professional.
8. Qualified tree care professional's information:
Name
Phone Number
Certification Number
Description of tree(s) by homeowner or qualified professional: DBH, Species, Location of Tree on
Property, Reason for Removal
9. Planting __ new trees to meet the no net loss canopy requirement
Sources
- City of Decatur, GA has a 15 page ordinance
- Irvington, NY tree Commission; For the entire 10-page Irvington by law click here
- City of Toronto, ON Municipal Code
- Tree Preservation Ordinance click here
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.