Illinois Arborist Association

Tree Risk Assessment for Small Communities, Parks and Rural Communities

With Support from the Illinois Urban and Community Forestry Program of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources

The IAA is providing this important one-day workshop to the communities and managers of public trees.  The workshop is designed to assist participants to identify potentially hazardous trees among the trees they manage; mitigate the issues and develop a simple risk reduction strategy.

Park Managers, Road Supervisors, Tree Boards, Public Works Directors, Street Superintendents, Landscape Architects and Arborists.

8 ISA CEU credits.

$50 includes lunch and breaks

Choose your  location

Instructor: Mark Duntemann

Mark Duntemann develops tree risk management policies and training for an international client base.  Additionally, he has provided expert witness testimony in numerous tree-related personal injury and fatality cases.  Based on these two types of extensive experiences, he brings a tempered discussion on tree risk management to the current set of workshops.

Agenda

   8:00 REGISTRATION

     8:15       Risk As it Applies to Trees – Session will begin with a discussion on the general concepts of risk.  The remainder of this segment will review the primary elements of a risk management program and how it applies to the management of trees for public agencies and private sector businesses.  Emphasis of discussion will be on the application of a program in rural settings.

     9:00      Tree Biology and Mechanics - This comprehensive session will develop the basis for understanding how trees react to external loads, such as wind and gravity.  The initial portion of the discussion covers tree anatomy.  The second part will focus on the affects of applied loads and tree mechanics.

     9:45      BREAK

   10:00       Structural Defects - Eight categories of defects will be covered in this session.  From cracks to decay, the identification and interaction between multiple defects will be reviewed and how they affect tree responses to loads.

   11:15       Tree Risk Assessment Guidelines – The talk before lunch will outline a process for conducting a visual tree assessment.  The three elements of a typical tree risk evaluation system will be covered in detail.

   12:00      LUNCH

   12:45       Structural Defects - The morning discussion will continue in the field where participants will observe and discuss structural defects on a range of trees.  A Resistograph drill will be used to demonstrate one invasive method for determining the extent of internal decay.

     3:15      BREAK

     3:30      Elements of a Defensible Program - The workshop will conclude with a template for participants that defines a range of options for developing a defensible tree risk management program.  The three main topics that will be discussed include staff training, appropriate inspection intervals and intensity, and mitigation strategies.

     4:30      END OF SESSION