Is My Tree Dangerous? What My Tree Risk Assessment Qualification Means for You

It's 2 a.m., the wind is howling, and you're lying awake listening to the big oak beside your house creak. Every gust, you wonder if this is the night it comes down. Most homeowners with a large tree have had a night like that, and most of them never get a clear answer to the question keeping them up.

That's exactly why I earned the International Society of Arboriculture's Tree Risk Assessment Qualification, or TRAQ, last year. Learning has always been at the heart of how I run Koala Tree, and TRAQ gives me a proven, documented way to answer the one question every tree owner really wants answered: is my tree safe? It's open only to experienced arborists and requires passing both a written exam and a hands-on field exam on real trees. Here's what it means for you.

Guessing isn't good enough

Without a proper method, two arborists can look at the same tree and give you completely different answers. One says it's fine. Another says take it down. Neither can really explain why. That leaves you either living with a tree you're nervous about or paying to remove one that could have stayed for decades.

TRAQ replaces opinion with a clear, repeatable process used by arborists around the world.

How a TRAQ assessment works

Instead of asking "could this tree fail?" (every tree could, eventually), TRAQ looks at three things together:

• How likely the tree, or part of it, is to fail. I look at decay, cracks, weak branch unions, root problems, lean and how the tree has responded to past stress.
• How likely it is to hit something if it does. A limb over an empty back field isn't the same as one over your kid's bedroom or the driveway.
• What the consequences would be. A small branch landing on a lawn is a nuisance. A trunk landing on a roof is a very different story.

Put those together and you get a risk rating: low, moderate, high or extreme. That rating is what we build our recommendations on.

What it means for you

First, you get a straight answer. You'll know how risky the tree actually is, what's driving that risk, and how confident I am in that call.

Second, you get options, not just removal. Often the risk can be brought down with targeted pruning, cabling, moving a target like a play structure, or keeping an eye on the tree over time. For older trees, it's the foundation of our decline management approach, keeping a declining tree safer with you for more years instead of defaulting to the chainsaw.

Third, you get it in writing. A documented assessment is useful when you're dealing with neighbours, insurance or the city, and it gives you a clear record of what was found and recommended.

Better together: TRAQ and PPQ

This fall I added the Prescription Pruning Qualification to go with TRAQ. TRAQ tells us what's going on with a tree and how much risk it carries. PPQ turns that into a precise written pruning plan the crew carries out exactly. One answers "what does this tree need?" and the other makes sure that's exactly what it gets.

Peace of mind, backed by a method

When I tell you a tree is safe to keep, or that it's time to let it go, I want you to know that answer comes from a proven process and not a hunch. If there's a tree on your property that's been keeping you up at night, book an assessment and I'll give you a clear picture of where it stands. You can learn more about our tree risk assessments here.

This is general information. Every tree and site is different. For advice on a specific tree, get a free quote or book a Certified Arborist Assessment.

About the author

Jason Korkidakis

Jason is Koala Tree’s Owner and Lead Arborist in London, ON. He leads an 8-person crew and assesses trees for homeowners, condo boards and property managers.

ISA Certified Arborist ON-3263ATRAQ qualifiedPPQ qualified

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