A Tree Inspection from Tree Care Auckland will assess the condition of your trees and make recommendations to ensure they are kept in their best possible condition. Learn about the TCA Tree inspection process and methods we use in our blog post.
A Tree Inspection reduces the future likelihood of failure
Just like humans, trees have a natural life cycle. From seeds, they grow, mature, and decline. In a forest setting this is not a problem; a tree can lose a limb or fall without harming anything and over time it will be recycled back into the ecosystem. In the urban environment things are often very different. There is more often than not something underneath the tree which would not appreciate a large branch or an entire tree landing on it.
One way to prevent your family or property being at risk from falling trees on your premises is to have your trees inspected by a suitably qualified and experienced arborist. A skilled arborist will be able to assess the condition of your tree or trees and make recommendations to ensure they are kept in their best possible condition to reduce the likelihood of any failure.
What is the Tree Inspection process?
When you first contact Tree Care Auckland. we will ask a few questions to find out what kind of inspection is most appropriate for your situation. We have clients ranging from individual home owners with one tree, through to schools who have several hundred. We have an inspection system that can be adapted for all needs and budgets.
The purpose of the inspection will determine how it is performed. A detailed inspection of a single tree may require the tree to be climbed or sophisticated electronic inspection devises to be used. However, for larger groups of trees or for more regular surveys, inspection from ground level using the Visual Tree Assessment (VTA) method will be more appropriate.
Once the type of inspection has been decided, a qualified arborist will visit the site and inspect the tree. Data from this inspection will be entered into our data base and a report will be produced showing a map of the trees, a hazard evaluation, and recommended remedial actions if any are necessary. If an arborists report is needed (for example in the case of a resource consent application) this will be produced explaining the condition of the tree or trees and any supporting evidence in more detail.
The first inspection requires some time to enter the details of your site into our system before the initial survey. Once this has been done the following surveys are quite straight forward and require less time. This means that the main cost is the first survey and any subsequent surveys will be cheaper.
What is VTA?
Visual Tree Assessment (VTA) is a method of tree inspection developed by a German professor of bio-mechanics called Dr. Claus Mattheck. He developed a system where by a tree can be assessed visually and certain features or characteristics of the tree, which may or may not be present, can be used to assess the structural integrity of the tree.
Dr Mattheck has extensive knowledge of how trees grow and how they fail. Through experiments he has devised rules that can be followed to accurate predict when a tree may be approaching unacceptable levels of risk, and methods an arborist can follow to reduce these risks.
How often should I conduct a Tree Inspection?
The answer to tree inspection frequency is largely determined by the condition of your trees and the presence (or not) of targets. After your initial tree assessment we will be able to advise on a regular inspection cycle for your situation. For trees that are in good condition with low target areas less frequent inspections will be appropriate, however, in the case of a school where children are playing underneath the trees most days a more regular inspection will be necessary.
As a general rule, if people are beneath the tree on a regular basis, a qualified arborist should be inspecting the tree at least once a year. Another time that it is important to have your trees inspected is following a significant weather event such as gale force winds, unusually heavy rain, or extended periods of drought.
For more details about tree surveys and how to contact us please visit our tree inspection advice page.
