BMP - Tree Inventories - 7

characteristics will enter into work planning, budget preparation, policy
development, and program review.

Assess Tree Risk

The number one concern for most urban forest managers is risk management. This
concern follows from the duty of care that lies at the heart of the owner's liability.
Tree inventories can identify and document trees requiring risk mitigation. This
information is usually prioritized to facilitate resource allocation for mitigation.

Determine Maintenance Needs

Planning for maintenance is much more efficient when suitable data are available. Maps of geographic areas or lists of tree locations can be combined with
work needs to develop budgets and assign work to crews. Long-term management issues such as prioritizing maintenance, preserving or improving species
and age diversity, and training young trees can also be readily addressed.

Record Work History

Inventories can be used to track changes in the population and individual sites
over time. This may include tracking work that has been completed on each
tree, the work history. This information helps in addressing service requests,
managing crew productivity, determining when an individual tree or groups
of trees are near the end of their useful life, supplying critical data to evaluate
species performance, and identifying specific needs (e.g., crown reduction
pruning) for particular species in dense urban areas. Documentation of tree
maintenance can support the agency's actions in a legal or insurance claim
concerning harm caused by a tree.

Figure 3. Example of inventory output. Information about trees needing removal is
organized in a table that facilitates oversight and review.

BMP - Tree Inventories

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BMP - Tree Inventories