Insurance Services

It has been twenty years since I wrote my first insurance report for a tree, after a storm in the Puget Sound.

In that time, I have had to learn more about an ever-changing field, and to adjust and hone my skills in valuation and evaluation of trees in the landscape. Part of that has been keeping current and finding sources to learn more about trees. Part of it is the feedback from insurance companies, claimants, and other interested parties.

My goal is to provide an unbiased and clearly written report that can be used as the basis for determining damage and value to a tree. In rare cases, damage is a foregone conclusion, but the report usually needs to determine both, in order to satisfy legal requirements.

I use my experience as a certified Tree Risk Assessor, an ISA certified arborist, and a member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists to find fair values of trees. I also use the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraiser’s Guide for Plant Appraisal for valuation of trees in the landscape. I have attended several workshops in the usage and methodology of this book. I was a member of both Hawaii's and the Pacific Northwest Regional Species  Ratings committees. This is a valuable input that regional groups set and revise for  one of the evaluation criteria.

Arborists all over the United States are using a common set of formulas and criteria, with their own personal input, to appraise and find reasonable values of trees. This is a far cry from using personal preference as a yardstick.