ADVERTISING: ADVERTORIAL - Standards and duty of care

I know I’m a few days late, but I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge my veteran readers. Veterans Day stands as a reminder of the courage and sacrifice that have been displayed by each and every one of you, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for serving our country.

Our topic last week left off with what we can and can’t do as certified arborists, and the professional standards that we are held to. I also want to explain a little about the legal duty we have as professionals in our industry. Let’s begin with explaining a couple of terms, shall we?

Standard of Care: A certified arborist's standard of care involves applying scientific knowledge, experience and adherence to ethical codes, primarily following ANSI A300 Standards. This includes the performance of safe and effective tree practices (pruning, planting, risk management), ensuring continuous education and maintaining professionalism, all to provide the best health, safety and structural integrity for trees and property.

Duty of care: A certified arborist's duty of care is a legal and ethical obligation to provide competent, professional tree care, which can involve performing risk assessments, diagnosing tree health issues, implementing proper pruning and maintenance and ensuring public safety by identifying and mitigating hazards to prevent injury or damage. All this is done by adhering to professional standards set by organizations like the ISA (International Society of Arboriculture).

Legal implications: Failing our duty of care, such as neglecting obvious hazards, improper pruning practices and ignoring professional ethics can lead to negligence claims and potentially open ourselves up to litigation.

How can we sum all this up in a nutshell? … pun intended! As I explained in my last article, the tree is yours and we will help you to the best of our ability to achieve whatever goals you have for your tree. The caveat to that though is when we are on site, our job is to educate and provide the customer with proper pruning and/or removal options that fit within our standard of care we are held to. 

Now, education is where we can give ourselves a little wiggle room in this “duty of care.” If we recommend or implement practices outside the standard of care to fit what you as the customer want done to your tree, ie; topping the tree because it’s too tall, it is now within our duty of care to educate you as to the potential outcome of the pruning practice and provide a comprehensive maintenance program for you as the homeowner to follow.

If you have any questions, or have a need for a quote or consultation, please reach out to us today, 208-762-5800!

For more information on Grace Tree Service, check out our website at gracetreeservice.com.