Tree Appraisals


Tree Appraisals


Tree Appraisals

We appraise trees.

Ponderosa-Pine-web

Sometimes it’s necessary to know the monetary value of a tree or a group of trees. For example, what’s a tree worth when it’s destroyed in a car accident, or by a wild fire, or when the neighbor’s weed killer kills your tree. These examples happen all the time. Often a tree appraisal is needed for an insurance claim or, sadly, for litigation.

Tree appraisal is more difficult than some other appraisals because you cannot replace a large tree. You can only replace a large tree with a small tree. The small tree does not reflect the value of a larger tree. If a car is destroyed, it can be replaced with another car of the same year and model and it’s easy to find what that would cost. To find the value of a house, real estate appraisers can find comparable homes to approximate the value. There are no such comparables when it comes to tree appraisal. Instead we have to calculate a value using rules established by the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers. We use factors such as tree size, species, tree structure, Tree defects, tree health and vitality, location of the tree, contribution of the tree to the property owner, and the cost of a new small tree of that species.

To make an accurate determination of such factors requires considerable skill. The appraiser has to understand tree physiology, tree anatomy, tree defects, insect and disease problems, local conditions and other relevant factors. We have over 40 years experience with these factors, and over 30 years experience performing tree appraisals.

Stef Ringgenberg has taught tree appraisal at workshops held by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture and the American Society of Consulting Arborists.

Please call if you need to know the value of a tree.