Which Tree Expert Do You Need? Expert Overview

Expert analysis and opinions are often sought after in legal disputes involving trees, but finding the appropriate expert can be complicated for attorneys who may not realize that there are different types of tree experts. 

This article will break down the various categories of tree experts based on the typical professional experience, training, and education of each.

Choosing a Forensic Tree Expert

There are three basic types of tree experts and a multitude of hybridizations between them:

• Arborist – Specializes in the management of trees and other woody plants in residential, commercial, and public landscapes.
• Municipal Forester - Specializes in the management of all or part of planted and naturally occurring greenspaces on public land in communities.
• Forester (traditional) – Specializes mainly with trees in a forested setting, often focusing on logging and timber issues.

The Arborist and the Municipal Forester deal with trees and issues arising in the built environment, whereas the traditional Forester mainly deals with trees in a forested setting.

As much of the litigation surrounding trees is centered in urban and suburban areas, the focus of this piece will be on differentiating between an Arborist and a Municipal Forester.

Arborist vs. Municipal Forester

The main difference between an Arborist and a Forester is that an Arborist typically works with individual trees whereas the Municipal Forester typically works with populations of trees. While similar in many aspects, the scope and goals of these professionals are on vastly different scales.

Arboriculture, the practice and study of the care of trees and other woody plants in the landscape, tends to be the most prioritized subset of a Municipal Forestry program because of both the benefits and liabilities associated with trees. Arboriculture includes tree care like pruning, disease diagnosis, pest/insect control, hazard identification/remediation, and tree removal.

Other subsets often found in Municipal Forestry programs are:

• Horticulture
• Landscape design and maintenance
• Invasive species management

The Municipal Forester employs the Arborist to accomplish a portion of their duties.

Compared to Arborists, Municipal Foresters generally have a much broader knowledge base backed by a degree. An Arborist often has advanced knowledge, but a degree is not required.

Arborists often have the benefit of being able to highly specialize, whereas the Municipal Forester has to be well-versed on a myriad of issues while maintaining a complete systems view.

Many Urban Foresters hold Arboriculture credentials whereas few Arborists hold degrees in Urban Forestry.

To clearly differentiate between the two professions, the Municipal Forester is further up the hierarchy from an organizational standpoint.

Professional Credentials Relevant to Tree Experts

BCMA – The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Board Certified Master Arborist credential is the highest level of certification offered by ISA. This credential recognizes ISA Certified Arborists who have reached the pinnacle of their profession. The ISA Board Certified Master Arborist has demonstrated knowledge in virtually every aspect of arboriculture. Fewer than two percent of all ISA Certified Arborists currently hold this certification.

TRAQ – The ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (ISA TRAQ) is a qualification program designed to train and assess candidates in a specialized field of arboriculture. Professionals with the ISA TRAQ credential have demonstrated specialized knowledge in tree risk assessment. To maintain the qualification, current credential holders must retain and retest every five years.

RCA – A professional that is a member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA) and has graduated from the ASCA consulting academy. This professional has demonstrated higher skills in certain technical areas related to trees and tree care, providing objective, independent opinions, with training for higher communication, presentation, and/or report writing skills.

Municipal Specialist – The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) credential for Certified Arborists who work in municipal arboriculture or urban forestry. This credential focuses on the areas of public relations, administration, risk management, policy, and planning as they pertain to municipal arboriculture. ISA Municipal Specialists have a minimum of three years of work experience managing the establishment and maintenance of urban trees.

Urban Forester (by Occupation & Degree) – This is a professional that has completed tertiary education in the science and art of growing, planting, and maintaining trees growing in cities, towns, and villages. An Urban Forester by occupation and a formal degree has broad experience, training, and education working with trees and managing the interactions between trees and people.

Case Examples

Decayed Tree Falls on Vehicle Along Residential Roadway

On a windy day, a large Red Oak breaks and falls onto a vehicle traveling down a residential roadway. The incident seriously injures the driver of the vehicle, and the tree appears to have originated in the boulevard and has decayed wood.

In this example, the best expert would be a TRAQ qualified Arborist with a municipal background, such as the ISA Municipal Specialist credential holder or an Urban Forester. TRAQ-qualified arborists have training in tree risk assessment and specific factors that contribute to tree failures. TRAQ-qualified Arborists are well suited to address wind related tree failures and the significance of decay in trees.

Arborists with a municipal background, such as the ISA Municipal Specialist credential holder or an Urban Forester, are familiar with the responsibilities of municipally owned trees, municipal ordinances, municipal tree inspections, and municipal policies related to trees.

Out of Control Residential Bonfire Burns Trees on Adjacent Property

A property owner has a large bonfire without a burning permit. The fire gets out of control and burns over 200 pine trees on the neighboring tree nursery property. The pine trees were 8-10’ in height and grown to sell as nursery stock.

In this example, the best expert would be a BCMA or RCA Arborist. BCMA and RCA credentialed arborists often have training and experience in tree appraisals. Both experts would need to have experience with performing CTLA (Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers) Appraisals and writing appraisal reports.

Branch Falls Off Tree in City Park and Kills Patron

A large tree branch in a City Park falls and kills a park patron. The incident tree was in the municipal tree inventory and was pruned the previous winter. The incident occurred on a hot, sunny morning with no wind.

In this example, the best expert would be a BCMA or TRAQ-qualified Arborist with the ISA Municipal Specialist credential or Urban Forestry degree/occupation.

TRAQ-qualified Arborists and BCMA Arborists are well suited to troubleshoot for causes of failure. BCMA have extensive training in virtually every aspect of arboriculture and that can help determine causation.

BCMA know the pruning standards and can evaluate the quality and appropriateness of pruning performed on the incident tree.

TRAQ-qualified arborists are specifically trained to observe defects and conditions that cause or contribute to tree failures and even cover the phenomena of “sudden branch drop” in TRAQ training manuals.

Urban Foresters or Arborists with the ISA Municipal Specialist credential are familiar with pruning cycles, pruning crews, tree inspections, tree inventories, and tree risk management.

ISA Municipal Specialists are Arborists who have worked in the management and establishment of urban trees for at least three years and have tested their knowledge in the areas of public relations, administration, risk management, policy, and planning as they pertain to municipal arboriculture.

Forensic Tree Investigations

Our experts are frequently retained when tree failures are associated with catastrophic injury or property damage. Through the course of their investigations they are regularly tasked with determining how and why a tree failed, if it showed signs of failure leading up to an incident, when those signs first appeared, and what was the appropriate standard of care for the property owners/managers involved in a dispute.

For more information, submit an inquiry or call us at 800.813.6736.

Featured Expert

Christopher Larson, BCMA, TRAQ

Board Certified Master Arborist & Tree Expert

Chris Larson is a Board Certified Master Arborist with over 20 years of experience in urban forestry, arboriculture, and landscape design/maintenance. He applies his expertise to a broad range of… read more.