What constitutes a hazardous tree?
Risk/hazard assessment is the ideology that a tree poses a risk of failure and that failure has some consequesnce. A hazardous tree is defined as any defective tree, or tree part, that poses a high risk upon its failure or fracture to cause injury to people or due damage to property. A hzardoust tree has one or more defects which decreases its structural integrity and gives it an increased potential for failure. Defect that are visible or detectable include cracks, decayed wood, weak branch unions, cankers, poor tree architecture, root problems, and dead tree or branches. A defective tree is not considered hazardous unless there is a nearby target that it could hit. A target could be a person, vehicle, building or any other object likely to sustain damage or injury. The term target area is used to describe an area where people or their equipment are likely to congregate. By definition, a hazardous tree = a defect tree plus a target.
