Dr. Steiner has been a professor at Penn State, one of the largest land-grant universities in the country, for more than 30 years. He currently is a full professor of forest biology in the forestry program and Director of The Arboretum at Penn State, and his time is split between research, teaching, and administration.
His expertise involves forestry and scenarios where damage to trees is a factor or can be used to determine the timing or cause of critical events. He’s published over 150 research articles on the subjects of tree growth, forest ecology, and the genetics of forest population.
Dr. Steiner has served as Vice-Chair for Science, The American Chestnut Foundation; Chair of the Allegheny Society of American Foresters; member of the Committee on Accreditation, Society of American Foresters; General Chair, Society of American Foresters National Convention; working group chair, International Union of Forest Research Organizations; member of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Council of Professional Foresters; advisory committee member, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; advisory committee member, Purdue’s Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center; and Chair, The Pennsylvania State University Faculty Senate
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Tree Struck by Vehicle, Pedestrian Struck by Tree
A pedestrian was injured on an early winter morning when a tree that had fallen onto the roadway was struck by a passing vehicle and pushed onto the pedestrian. The tree fell as a result of extensive decay in the lower portion of the trunk on the side of the tree facing the road.
Robson Forensic highway engineers addressed tree placement with regard to right-of-ways; our dendrologist addressed the rate of decay and deterioration of the tree; and our facilities engineer, Brian O’Donel, addressed the standard of care for the private property owner inspecting and maintaining buildings and grounds, including trees and tree removal.
Based on the tree’s rate of decay and the applicable standard of care for maintaining facilities, Brian was able to establish that the property owner knew, or should have known that the tree was in a dangerous condition for over a year prior to its falling. The property owner violated property maintenance standards and local codes when they failed to address the unsafe condition, and this violation was a cause of the pedestrian’s injury.
This case settled favorably for our client.
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