Most property damage in a severe weather event comes from trees and limbs coming down. Saturated soil lets roots let go, and wind finds every defect that was already there.
An assessment is an arborist walking the tree and looking for the things that predict failure. Cavities and decay columns in the trunk. Included bark where two leaders meet at a tight angle, which is the single most common split point. Root plates lifting on the windward side. Lean that has changed since last year. Fungal fruiting bodies at the base, which usually mean the inside of the tree is further gone than the outside suggests.
Why you want it in writing
A verbal opinion is worth very little to an insurance adjuster, a permit clerk or an HOA board. A signed report from a certified arborist is a document those people are set up to accept. If you need a tree removed and the municipality requires justification, this is the paperwork that gets it approved. If a tree comes down on a neighbor's property later, a dated report showing you had it inspected is the difference between an accident and negligence.
Kenneth Johnston is ISA Certified Arborist #5826A. That number is registered with the International Society of Arboriculture and it is public. Look it up before you hire anyone for this kind of work, us included.
We also assess the other direction. Plenty of trees that look frightening are structurally sound and will outlive the house. Being told a tree can stay is a legitimate outcome of an assessment and it costs the same as being told it cannot.
What an assessment covers
- Trunk inspection for cavities, decay and fungal fruiting bodies
- Included bark and weak branch unions at the crotch
- Root plate condition, lift and soil disturbance
- Lean, and whether it has changed
- Proximity to structures, service drops and property lines
- A written report you can hand to an insurer, an HOA or a permit office
- Prepared and signed by ISA Certified Arborist #5826A
Serving Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Sarasota Counties. Residential and commercial.