Tree Risk Assessment in Urban Areas and the Urban/Rural Interface

Successful completion earns PNW-ISA Certified Tree Risk Assessor qualification. For those who have completed the course, please read this new informational TRACE Bulletin (March 2009).

Changes to the course manual are addressed including new risk rating tables.

About Tree Risk Assessment Courses

Overview

The Tree Risk Assessment course was developed in consultation with the Workersafe™ Compensation Board of British Columbia (WCB), British Columbia Hydro, Wildlife and Danger Tree Committee of British Columbia, and numerous reviewers around North America. The course is administered by the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (PNW-ISA).

The Need

The need for the course was defined in British Columbia by a tree-caused fatality in 2000 which helped WCB focus attention on worker safety on golf courses and in urban areas. PNW-ISA approached WCB to explore ways to design and implement a training course for the assessment of trees in urban areas and in the urban/rural interface areas. These discussions resulted in a project, funded by WCB, PNW-ISA, and BC Hydro, to develop a completely new course and accreditation.

Who Created The Courses

The course design work was undertaken by Dr. Julian Dunster of Dunster & Associates Ltd. The effort involved several years of extensive research, testing, and review of the materials. In the summer of 2004, WorkSafe BC recognized the course and credential as an accepted industry standard in British Columbia. After a successful 2005 course launch in British Columbia, the course is now being offered in the Pacific Northwest.