Reasons why homeowners associations should invest in a tree inventory.

1. 5 REASONS YOUR
HOMEOWNERS
ASSOCIATION SHOULD
HAVE A TREE INVENTORY

2. A tree inventory is a management tool used to collect attributes
of a population of trees in a specific location. Data is collected
to accomplish a goal, such as determining maintenance needs,
risk assessment, education, etc. These days, inventories are
typically collected utilizing GPS/GIS and can be easily accessed
and shared on the web.
Homeowners associations should be interested in conduction
tree inventories for many reasons, including the following:
HOAS AND TREE INVENTORIES

3. Knowing the maintenance needs of the trees in your association
can help plan for work to be done over several years. For
example, a plan to prune the trees in the association would be
difficult to create if the pruning needs of every tree are not
known.
Knowing pruning needs helps prioritize which trees to prune
first, and at what cost, so that an HOA can budget for
maintenance accordingly.
1. BUDGETING

4. Informing residents of the types of trees and associated
benefits throughout an Association can help improve
appreciation for the natural environment. After all, one will
likely find it hard to care about a resource they don't even know
exists.
An HOA can make their tree inventory available to residents so
they can see the benefits and needs of individual trees.
Residents can access some types of inventories from mobile
devices so they can learn about individual trees as they walk
their neighborhood.
2. EDUCATION

5. Online tree
inventories can
be constantly
updated and
can be shared
with residents
and board
members.
TREE
INVENTORY
SAMPLE

6. Environmentally aware individuals may be attracted to an HOA if
they see that management cares for natural assets such as
trees.
Caring for trees can also help lead to certification through
programs such as LEED and SITES. These are third party
verification services that have been shown to improve sale and
rental prices for residential and commercial properties.
Content produced as part of an inventory can often be utilized
by an HOA in marketing materials.
3. MARKETING

7. While trees provide many benefits, they can also present safety
hazards if in poor condition. An inventory will identify hazards
and prioritize removal or other mitigation options to reduce the
potential for tree or limb failure.
Failure to assess and remove tree risks can open up an HOA or
property owner to legal action if a tree failure leads to property
damage or personal injury.
4. RISK ASSESSMENT

8. If a tree is illegally removed through negligence, accident or
weather the HOA can often attempt to recoup the value of the
lost tree through insurance or legal means.
However, appraised value is difficult to determine after a tree
has been removed unless tree accurate details have been kept.
That is why is important to know at least the size, species and
condition of every tree of value on a property. All of this data
can easily be collected in an inventory.
5. INSURANCE/VALUE APPRAISAL

9. Andrew Lueck
Planned Forest Solutions, LLC
Andrew@plannedforest.com
(773) 243-7442
QUESTIONS?