I heard on the radio yesterday that there's a public consultation running on the introduction of mandatory period tree inspections every 3-5 years. There's a Telegraph article here:
On 21 Jun 2008 09:16:21 GMT, a particular chimpanzee, snipped-for-privacy@cucumber.demon.co.uk (Andrew Gabriel) randomly hit the keyboard and produced:
British Standards do _not_ oversee building and engineering regulations; they provide one of the standards that can be used when regulations are introduced. They also provide codes of practice, which this appears to be, to promote good practice.
A sloppy, poorly researched or deliberately misleading story, which will no doubt be turned into a "nanny state" anti-Labour rant.
This one has been brewing for some time since an expert witness who also "trains" assessors overturned a long established principle in this case, despite IMO the other party's expert witness giving a more cogent argument.
I suspect that being a leading light in the arb industry the expert witness also contributed to the BSI's revised standard in arboriculture. Draw togatether the ability to win an argument forcibly and a peer group that look up to you and you end up with this potentially rewarding c*ck up.
I haven't attended any of the recent, private, courses on tree assessment, even though I have looked after 12km of roadside trees for nigh on 30 years, we had never had an accident or claim. In the last 3 years a "qualified" inspector, 6 months out of college after a 10 week general tree course, has done the work. The roadside bill has escalated from GBP3k to GBP17k. Since we have had 3 major tree failures (all from old damage that I would not have spotted, neither did the youth). Two affected the highway and one fell into a garden. The two that affected the highway would fall into the same class as the tree that this judgement referred to, there were no injuries.
My prediction is that ground level surveys will have no affect on safety but , as with subsidence they will be used as a lever to have trees removed. There is actually good evidence that urban trees have a counter effect to hot summers in urban situations.
AJH
Who is going to pay for the inspections in the Kielder Forest?
I know, we can remove any risk to the public much more cheaply. Close all forestry commission land to public access.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions...
Andy
The more interesting question is what prompted them to embark on generation of this standard in the first place?
I don't think we need any new evidence to justify one of those do we?
NO, the reason for this is that the training companies have educated more than enough people to carry out HIPS on properties, so they have had to find something else to 'branch' out with to keep the cash flowing into their coffers!
It would seem to be a result of lobbying by a small number of Arboriculturalists (as they call themselves). The advisory panel appears to have some Arboriculturalists on it as well. Part P again?
The forums on
"They" are always seeking more ways to poke their noses into other people's business. It's what the State does.
It has always been the case that if a tree damaged someone or their property they could sue. The courts would throw it out if the tree had been inspected a reasonable time before and was deemed safe. For this reason as I have trees with TPOs on them bordering my property to the road. I apply to the council about every year to have them removed as I think they are unsafe. The council, of course reject my application because they deem the trees to be safe. Covers me at no expense. The only advantage I know of having trees with TPOs. Incidentally insurance for trees are a nightmare, some insurance companies insist that all tree must be 30 meters from your property. How that works when you live in an urban area with trees in the road I do now know!
Only in Ireland....
This brings joy to me.
A wonderful and inventive way of shifting the shit from your doorsetep to anothers for the cost of an annual postage stamp!
Especially that particular doorstep....
Surely in Ireland, it would be the Turd Part.
Umm. If they are the councils trees, then doesn't this mean that they have 'been inspected recently and deemed safe' so if they fall on *your* property you can't sue the council?
Local authority playing judge and jury in their own cause? This can be a very sensitive area for them as I was once successfully able to exploit. It's rather like lifting a rock in the garden and watching the woodlice running round aimlessly before diving for cover.
But presumably if they did one day accede to your request you'd then have to pay up to get the tree removed, coz if you didn't and it fell on someone the council could say they'd agreed to its removal and you still hadn't done anything about it.
I suppose it could be argued in law to be akin to an MOT certificate, only 'safe' at the time of issue!
Don.
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