FAQ's

Here are some answers to a few FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) which we hope will be helpful. If you have a specific question regarding trees or tree management, please email or call us.

Employing Expert Tree Help

1. Do I need a consultant or a 'tree surgeon'?

We previoulsy had rather long, complicted answer to this question. In a nutshell, the question is this:

Do you want (need) someone who is an objective, qualified expert to inspect your trees and report to you on their condition and what, if any, management work is needed? Or do you want a contractor to make a breif free site visit and quote for tree surgery work? If you consider this breifly but carefully, you should have your answer.

In addition, please consider these points:

1. The best contractors will advise you when you need a consultant, in order to assess the condition and safety of the trees and advise on  whether major (and expensive) tree work (felling, pruning, etc) is needed. Cheap, sub-standard contractors offering tree surgery will of course always tell you that you need lots of major crown reduction and felling work.

2. Pruning or felling one large tree will often be over 10 times more expensive than the cost of having it inspected by a consultant. Unnecessary and damaging tree work is still all too common. Consultants can save money, and trees!

3. Arboricultural contractors (tree surgeons) and arboricultural consultants (arboriculturists) are both tree care professionals. But they are focused on, and qualified and expert at, different things.

4. There is a good reason why, by analogy, there are architects & engineers, and there are builders. Rarely, if ever can even a large company professionally provide both, and there are potential conflicts of professional interest in trying to do so, however knowledgable and honest.

We believe the benefits of remedial tree work must outweigh the damage to the tree, and justify the costs; it should be sustainable. We appreciate that trees and money are both resources. Good management is about using those resources wisely. For arboriculture to be trusted and respected in Ireland, the public need to be clear about who is qualified to do what.

2. Who is qualified to do what?

Refer to the Guide to Qualifications & Careers in Arboriculture published by the Arboricultural Association - available from their website www.trees.org.uk, or the qualifications table is available as a pdf in the 'Qualifications' page in the 'Our Practice' section.

For contractors' (tree surgery work) qualifications, please see question 4, below. We believe anyone offering consultancy as an arborist/arboriculturist should hold a degree level qualification in arboriculture; just as an engineer, or an architect must at least have a degree in engineering or architecture.  It is of course essential that (acedemic) qualifications are combined with experience. Because there are still unqualified people offering 'consultancy'  services it is unfortunately essential to check - are they consultants or primarily contractors? If they are genuine professional consultants, find out who in the company would perform the service, and what level of qualifications do they hold and what experience do they have.

To review our qualifications, please visit the our practice (About Us) section.

3. What do I need to do fulfil my legal obligations as a tree owner?

Site owners or managers have a legal duty to regularly monitor their trees to ensure they are not a danger to public safety. It is often unnecessary for every tree on a site to be inspected individually or in detail. A brief site appraisal by a competent person can quickly identify those areas where trees are of critical importance and/or significant potential hazard to public safety and need assessment. Large trees beside public or frequently occupied areas - especially if presenting symptoms of concern - are advisable to be inspected by a qualified arboriculturist: That's where we come in. If (and only if) any tree work is really needed, we specify that priority work; and that's then where the contractors ('tree surgeons') can come in

4. How do I know who is a good tree surgeon and who''s not?

Professional contractors ('tree surgeons') are experts in the practical, physical work of pruning, felling and other remedial works to trees. At minimum, they must have the basic competency certificates (NPTC's) in the machinery and work operations they perform, and hold public liability and employers insurance. Tree surgery is demanding work, and requires great skill. The basic standard for tree work is BS 3998 (2010). Good contractors provide a high quality of technical work and customer care.

Unfortunately, you cannot judge the quality of work of a contractor by how big their adverts are, or even how well equipped they are. The best people to ask are probably those in the industry who know the work of contractors but are independent of them, i.e. consultants or parks superintendents. The Arboricultural Association do have an Approved Contractor Scheme, but this has only recently begun in Ireland (ROI). Membership of professional trade organisations - i.e. the Arboricultural Association or the ISA - is often some indication of reputability. The Arboricultural Association produce a useful information leaflet on 'Choosing an Arborist', available on the their website at www.trees.org.uk. If nothing else, make sure the contractor is insured for the work. And, obviously, never have anything to do with people who offer 'lopping and topping' or knock on doors looking for work

More coming soon