urban forest strike team task specialist reintroduction

Dudley R. Hartel, Center Manager

Eric Kuehler, Technology Transfer Specialist

John Slater, Arkansas U&CF Partnership Coordinator

Urban Forestry South

Athens, Georgia

Urban Forest Strike Team Task Specialist Reintroduction

Urban Natural Resources Institute

June 2, 2011

Urban Forest Strike Team

USDA FS, Region 8Southern Research StationUrban Forestry SouthUSDA FS, Northeastern Area

Southern Group of State Foresters

UFST Webinar Series

Task Specialist – Tree Risk (June 2)

State Agencies – UFST Response Role (July 14) U&CF Coordinators – First 72 Hours+ (August 11) Task Specialist – Mobilization (September 8) UFST – Safety (October 13) UFST – Program Status (November 10) Team Leader – Lessons Learned (December 8)

Webinar Outline

Current UFST objectivesUFST risk rating criteria

Target, Size of part, Probability of failure

FEMA 325 Debris Standards Hangers Removals

ANSI A300 (Part 9) Tree Risk Assessment UFST tree risk assessment objectives

Based on ANSI A300 Context, target, and scope

Current UFST Tree Risk Assessment Objectives

•Provide municipality with a list of hazardous, storm-damaged trees•Prioritize the risk to help with interim management planning•Identify trees that potentially qualify for FEMA reimbursement•Spatially locate storm-damaged trees for ease of mitigation treatment

Contractors can easily find them

Current UFST Tree Risk Assessment Attributes

•Species (or genus)•DBH•Risk ratings (target, size, probability)•Risk management recommendation

Prune Remove Inspect

•FEMA management recommendation Non-FEMA Prune Remove

UFST Risk Ratings

TargetPeople/property potentially affected by tree failure

Size of PartSize of the part of the tree likely to fail

Probability of FailureLikelihood that failure will occur

Mitigation recommendationBased on risk ratings

[Refer to WebDoc-2011-June-03]

UFST Risk Ratings

Target - People/property potentially affected by tree failure

1 – Infrequent: limited-use trails, remote areas, low-use roads2 – Occasional: neighbourhood roads, parks3 – Frequent: high-use playgrounds, parks, picnic areas4 – Constant: immovable objects


UFST Risk Ratings

Infrequent Frequent

UFST Risk Ratings

Size of Part - Size of the part of the tree likely to fail

Reason for proposed changeTo reflect the degree of the hazard

Don’t use 1 or 2 for whole tree removal

Current UFST ratings

1 – < 8” 2 – 8-18” 3 – 18-24” 4 – >24”

Proposed ratings

1 – < 3” 2 – 3-5” 3 – 6-15” 4 – >16”


UFST Risk Ratings

Probability of Failure - Likelihood that failure will occur

1 – Low: the part may take a long time to fail2 – Possible: could fail given the right conditions (wind, ice, snow)3 – Likely: it is a matter of time for failure4 – Imminent: the failure could occur at any moment


UFST Risk Ratings

Risk Management Based on risk ratings

• No Action needed

• Prune (Hazard) – remove hanging limbs

• Prune (Other) – prune non-hazard limbs

• Remove (Hazard) – whole tree removal due to hazards

• Inspect (Immediate) – possible imminent hazard, immediately have manager inspect more thoroughly

• Inspect (Routine) – have manager inspect more thoroughly


FEMA 325 Debris Management Standardshttp://www.fema.gov/pdf/government/grant/pa/demagde.pdf

•Eligible debris•Generated by the disaster event•Debris located within designated disaster area•Debris located on applicant’s improved property or rights-of-way•Debris removal is the legal responsibility of the applicant



•Hazardous Limb Removal (Hangers)•Generated by the disaster event•Located on improved public property

• or impacting it•> 2” diameter at the break•Still hanging in the tree and threatening public-use areas


Located on improved public property or impacting it (Trails)

Management StandardsHazardous Limb Removal (Hangers)

Management Standards

> 2” diameter at the break and still hanging in the tree and threatening public-use areas

Hazardous Limb Removal (Hangers)


•Hazardous Trees•Must satisfy all of these

•Caused by the disaster

•Immediate threat to lives, public safety, or improved property

•> 6” DBH

•Must satisfy at least one of these•> 50% crown damage or removal

•Split trunk or major branches exposing heartwood

•Fallen or uprooted within public-use area

•Leaning > 30o



50 % Crown Loss%

Hazardous Trees

Heartwood Exposed

Management StandardsHazardous Trees


Fallen or uprooted within public-use area

Hazardous Trees


Leaning > 30o

Hazardous Trees

FEMA 325 Debris Management StandardsFEMA Management Based on observations

• Non-FEMA• mitigation actions do not qualify for FEMA reimbursement

• Prune (>2” Limbs) • removal of broken limbs qualifies for FEMA reimbursement

• Remove (>50% Loss) • removal of tree qualifies for FEMA reimbursement due to 50% crown loss

• Remove (Heartwood) • removal of tree qualifies for FEMA reimbursement due to exposure of heartwood in stem or main branch(es)

• Remove (>30 Lean) • removal of tree qualifies for FEMA reimbursement due to a 30o stem lean [Refer to WebDoc-2011-June-04]

ANSI A300 Part 9Tree Risk Assessment

Recently released Allows UFST to specify our Scope of Work Industry standards / Reduce liability Specifications include:

ObjectivesScope of workLevels of tree risk assessmentType of risk analysis dataReporting methodology


UFST Post-disaster Rapid TreeRisk Assessment Specifications

Objectives Quickly ID storm-damaged, hazardous treesIn designated areasProfessional recommendations to mitigate risk

Scope of workAssess only trees

•Damaged by current natural disaster•In designated boundaries•On or impacting improved property•Meet criteria for FEMA 325

Hazardous treesHazardous limb removal (Hangers)

Provide tree risk ratings / mitigation recommendations



Levels of tree risk assessment Depends on where that tree is locatedLevel 1

•Public/private property•CANNOT be accessed legally/safely

No stepping on private propertyWill not be able to view all sides of the tree

•Poses obvious risk to publicLevel 2

•Trees on public property•Can be accessed safely



Level 1 tree risk assessment Only on that portion of the tree easily visible from groundEasily visible from safest and legal vantage pointsID obvious hazards per FEMA 325

Level 2 tree risk assessmentGround-based, visual inspection360o assessmentInspect crown, trunk, flare, exposed roots, conditionsID hazards that could impact people or property

•On public property•On private property


Type of risk analysis dataTree species or genusDiameterCumulative risk rating score

•Target•Size of part•Probability of failure

Risk mitigation recommendationFEMA eligibility recommendationSpatial location

What This Means for the UFSTTask Specialist

Only assessing storm-damaged treesFrom most recent stormAll others walk by

Change in assessment protocolStorm-damaged tree?Is it on public property or impacting it?Is it on/impacts improved property?Meets FEMA criteria for removal?

•>2” limb at break•>6” DBH tree

No more non-FEMA designationDecreased liability

John SlaterArkansas U&CF Partnership Coordinator

[email protected]

Eric KuehlerTechnology Transfer Specialist

[email protected]

Urban Forestry SouthAthens, Georgia

www.UFST.orgwww.UrbanForestrySouth.org

urban forest strike team task specialist reintroduction

Documents