CPD Courses for Surveyors and other Property Professionals

Understanding Trees, Property and Liability

This course considers tree related damage, the regulatory framework, liability and key cases and includes a tour of the RHS garden to consider, the identification, management and risks presented by urban trees.

 

Date Thursday 16 May 2013, 2.00pm–5.30pm
Venue Royal Horticultural Society Garden Wisley, Woking GU23 6QB
Speakers Tony Kirkham (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)
Richard Nicholson BEd FArborA
Martin Dobson BSc DPhil FArborA (Martin Dobson Associates)
Course code     1069

 

Trees are an enormous visual asset in the built environment but they are also contributors to many problems of concern to surveyors and property owners. This course looks at the conditions that give rise to tree related problems, considers the revised BS 5837 (April 2012), examines the specific circumstances in which tree damage occurs and reviews the case law with regard to both damage and the owner’s duty of care. Most importantly, it includes a tour of the trees looking at species and at the common problems that they can pose. It is set in the beautiful RHS Garden at Wisley where there are specimens which allow discussion of both identification and the management of risk. The course provides an invaluable update on current practice.

The course covers:

  • soil conditions and subsidence
  • circumstances in which tree related damage occurs
  • the revised BS 5837:2012 ‘Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction – recommendations’
  • liability and key cases (tree related damage, the owner’s duty of care)
  • tour of the trees (identification, suitability for use in the built environment, problems and the management of risk)

Tony Kirkham is Head of Arboretum at Kew but is better known as the presenter of the BBC2 programmes A Year at
Kew and The Trees that Made Britain. He holds the RHS award of Associate of Honour for services to horticulture.

Richard Nicholson is a Chartered Arboriculturalist currently employed by the Borough of Poole. He also runs a training and consultancy business, is the lead examiner for the Professional Diploma in Arboriculture and is chair of the review of BS 5837:2005.

Dr Martin Dobson is a Chartered Arboriculturalist and the principal of Martin Dobson Associates. He deals with planning and TPO applications and appeals, subsidence investigations, tree surveys and tree hazard assessments together with providing an Expert Witness service.

Back to full 2013 programme of CPD courses for property professionals