Why are trees appraised?

By far, the most common reasons for tree appraisal in the Atlanta area are in cases of trespass. It is unfortunate that trees are damaged through negligence, ignorance, or by accident, but it happens rather frequently. Sometimes trees and plants are cut down by mistake and sometimes a car wreck causes tree injury. There are other reasons why trees are appraised, such as in the case of catastrophic loss of plants after a storm, or in the determination of landscape value; but these reasons are far less common and less useful than most people realize.

How is a tree appraised?

Trees are appraised using several different methodologies, formulas, and variable market data. In the same way that a home's appraised value depends on nearby home sales, the value of a tree partly depends on current market values of landscape material grown in the region. Also, trees cannot be remotely appraised. A tree appraisal must include a site visit by the plant appraiser to gather data critical to the calculations.

What can I expect from a tree appraisal?

You can expect an initial phone consultation to determine the appropriateness of appraising the plants. A site visit to collect the necessary site information is then followed by the submission of a tree appraisal report to the customer. It is important to note, that in cases where emotions are running high, many people are dissatisfied with the final value. It is critical, therefore, that the expectations of the appraisal process are clear between the customer and the appraiser prior to the site visit.

Tree appraisals are very objective. However, there are a few elements in the appraisal that are subjective and require a great deal of experience and training to determine accurately. If you have any questions about how certain elements of the appraisal are conducted, the plant appraiser should have no trouble explaining it to you. If your plant appraiser cannot explain these elements satisfactorily, consider finding an expert certified arborist who is skilled at communicating the finer details of the art of tree appraisal.

I want to find out if a tree and plant appraisal is right for me.