Land and environment Court Tree Disputes

Land and environment Court Tree Disputes 17 Jan 2-14 With the increasing pressure on our residential communities and land sizes becoming smaller due to larger homes been built or the properties sizes becoming smaller no longer the ¼ acre blocks. There are more changes that we will impact upon our amenity forest, when this occurs some of these conflicts are decided in the Land and Environment court. When considering if you need to resolve your tree issues the first step many people take is to consult their local councils and once this occurs councils ask for more supporting evidence, this evidence is normally by a consulting Arborist AQF Level 5 arborist. When you hire the consultant you should make sure they have the qualification you can ask to see their certificate and also ask what method will they use to assess the tree/s 2 of the preferred methods are international Arborist associations Tree risk Assessments qualifications (TRAQ) and QTRA the consultant should also have a minimum of 5 years’ experience. This is normally called a visible tree assessment and as the stated is only a visible assessment what can be seen form the ground, this is the minimum information you will need before going to the land and Environment court in most cases you will need more supporting evidence this could be an aerial assessment of major limbs and the canopy, a soil analysis and or identification of the type of decay white rot brown rot or soft rot and how these affect the trees structure you may also need to determine the trees internal structure how much solid timber is there by using a Picus Sonic tomography test/s or a resistograph test conducted. When deciding to continue your case the more information obtained to support the case the better and when you start the project inform your consultant so they can inform you what may be needed and a approximate cost for the project. The case will be decided on fact not on emotion because a tree is large and you fear it is no reason to remove the tree but if the trees is large leaning over your home with several defects in the trunk with brown rot with only 10% solid timber then this maybe a reason to remove the tree. Also the consultant is there for the tree and not the client An expert witness has an overriding duty to assist the court impartially on matters relevant to the expert witness’s area of expertise. When discussing issues with your consultant tell them all the information you have so they can decide on the best course of action and discuss with them that you are going to the Land and environment court to get a ruling Fred Janes arborist at Angophora Consulting Arborist is a level 5 arborist (AQF level 5) qualified in the latest techniques using the international Arborist associations Tree risk Assessments qualifications (TRAQ). Fred can provide professional advice