Certified Tree Risk Assessments

Property owners in BC, including residential, commercial and public sector, are responsible for the damage to property and the personal injury caused by problem trees. Insurance companies may require a Certified Tree Risk Assessment performed by a qualified Arborist. This consultation service can be performed by Green Leaf Tree Services onsite at your property.

Industry Standards for Tree Risk

This new standard for the industry which is recognized by the Workers Compensation Board was developed by Dr. Julian Dunster of Dunster & Associates Ltd. for The Pacific Northwest Chapter of the International Society of Arborists.

This course was developed in consultation with the Workers’ 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 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.

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."