Individual countries policy on tree care

blair duncanson

In Scotland we refer to The British Standards for governmental guidlines on tree care, which in most respects seem to be well researched and sound. Whilst travelling i have seen mixed tree care practises, much what i would expect back home. Thing is though, is there an easy way to find out a countries individual tree care policies or is it now internationally standardised?

Ekka

No international standard that's for sure.

We have AS4373 2007 here, just a lot of tree workers dont know about it.

Standards for tree care are just that, not a law, ANSI isn't even a law. What it boils down to is local law at the council level or higher laws for protecting heritage/significant trees.

Frankly, if there's no enforcement then how is any malpractice dealt with? Oh, by civil proceedings ... and who does that? The client, and how many do follow through with that?

There's one way around perhaps, and I'm yet to read a case. We have a govt authority called Dept of Fair Trading (DFT). It looks out for shanksters and rip off merchants. Lets say customer asks for tree trim, gets a topping. Now it's possible but unlikely the DFT chase the case as the tree worker didn't do his job to standard. But I'm yet to see one case. You'll likely hear that it's a civil matter and you pursue it yourself.

Then if you are going to pursue it I doubt it's an insurance claim off the tree worker. So if you do win $10,000 case you still have to get the money. And it was a gypsy with a mobile phone, good luck.

The best working examples seem to be those where local law has tree protection and tree work has to be performed to local laws criteria. No local law, no tree protection, you got buckleys mate.

Then you get a group or organisation who take on the absurd task of trying to educate their own and the client. What a waste of resources. Sure education is a good thing but I wonder what sort of buildings and bridges we'd have if the other trades took on this approach. London Bridge would indeed be falling down.

The answers are so simple that they're almost a joke. Trained qualified people with a licence, local tree laws, and the client like hiring any other tradesman can pretty well be assured of some consistency and a job done to regulation. Not the clients job to know your job, that's your job. Not the clients job to know how deep the electrical trench to the back shed has to be, whether it needs conduit or not, what grade the wire has to be for the span, does it need it's own fuse, does it need a dead man switch yada yada yada .... they just know they hire a qualified licenced electrician.

And if that electrician buggers up he can have his licence pulled, be fined and the org behind it remedied the faulty work.

Simple.

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Sean Freeman

Eric's quite right, and the electrician analogy is a good one.....the explaination (for me) as to why our industry and profession is in such a weakened position stems from the history of its evolution. It has taken over 10yrs for our own state government to even begin to push compliance to standards of WH&S (OH&S for other places!) in the tree industry.

To answer your question in Oz the best approach is to contact the local authority (Council) and enquire as to the local/regional vegetation laws.

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Sean

Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky,
We fell them down and turn them into paper,
That we may record our emptiness.
- Kahlil Gibran

Ekka

Spot on Sean, get them tree protections in, local ordinances, it's vital.

For those who think they're good at their job and they'll get shafted, nonsense, with other trades when this happens there's an amnesty period where training, recognition of skills and evidence (previous jobs, referals etc) get the ticket you need. Not an absolute perfect system but better than some tree lopper walking in scratching his tattoo and lisping through his front missing teeth that "she's stuffed luv, needs to come out".

The trade (tree workers) need proper training like anything else, the orgs (ISA) along with others can roll it out, so can private colleges and govt like TAFE etc.

Getting trained people is good, but when there's no reg enforcing people to use trained workers then what's the point, you get the hacks do the job.

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mdvaden

Are you including "saving" and protecting trees in that, or just the care of them, as pertains to maintenance?

You might find the combined practices of the Americans (Canadians and United States) to be worth following very closely. The arborists there have tremendous resources, and the tree habitats that the arborists work in are very diverse. There are cities in mountain ranges, in desert areas, extreme winter cold, plains, exceptionally humid zones, swamp areas, and different elevations. And a lot of them network and mingle together at North American conventions. And as concentrated as all that skill is, there is still variety in the practices. Not too diverse, but some.

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blair duncanson

Aye, protection as well.

blair duncanson

Thanks for that, local authority, if there is one, to the area, is where i'll look. Last time i dealt with local authority, it was a horticulturist that i dealt with. With all due respect, i think she was signing up protections for trees with the , governments plans being a priority, not the woodlands or the trees? I am working on a conifer nursery just now in Holland, f..k there are many varieties!! I have heard that every tree here, whether private or not is protected? Will research this further and hope that i get meeting to find out Hollands way?Wonder if a tree officer has to be from Arb background, you would think so but the ones i have met are not....?

Sean Freeman

Blair you could do worse than to contact UKTC they are made up almost entirely of tree officers and would definately be able to help you with better info.

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Sean

Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky,
We fell them down and turn them into paper,
That we may record our emptiness.
- Kahlil Gibran

blair duncanson

Cheers Sean, have subscribed and will look around site later.