Tree risk assessments are the single strongest growing category of business for arborists aside from tree healthcare. Urban Forest Metrix incorporates several easy methods to conduct risk analyses, including the one most used by arborists across the U.S. and Canada: the ISA’s TRAQ system.

TRAQ

The TRAQ system contains several hundred factors with different and very specific values available for most of them. Individual “risk conditions” are considered separately at the end of the process to calculate one or more risk factors. As you can see from the screenshot at left, of just one of the tabs, there is a lot of information considered in these risk analyses.

Some require the recording of a great deal of data, and making interim calculations that are later combined for m

Risk_Rating

ore general numbers and consideration along with the arborist’s judgment.

Much of the data entered does not go into any sort of mathematical calculation, but which is important to consider and record to ensure comprehensive care. It is also important to have recorded to be able to establish that you did indeed consider it, preventing potential future liability.

Map of Risk Ratings

The math is done toward the end of the process, with arborists asked to consult tables of values to determine a particular condition’s risk rating, as shown in the screenshot above right. With Urban Forest Metrix, all of this is done for you in software.  The app also presents a great opportunity to document each condition with pictures – integrated automatically through your tab

let’s camera – so that a later condition cannot subsequently be misrepresented as having been present at your inspection.

As with any other piece of information recorded in the UFM application, it can be instantly mapped, providing risk rating labels next to each tree, such as the map shown at right. Trees with multiple conditions are shown with multiple labels.

Fully customizable reports are generated directly into PDF or email so that the arborist can make sure that all legalese, boilerplate language, custom headers, letterhead and other elements are included.

UFM also includes by default two other risk related analysis tools, including a relational weaknesses data table, where arborists can collect information, notes, pictures and even tomography images of relevant liabilities, as well as another, simpler tree risk analysis form for quicker and less complete assessments.