ISA offers a variety of educational materials to help arborists improve their arboricultural knowledge. Each week we will feature a product, or group of products that will enhance your arboriculture education. This week, ISA is featuring the Guide for Plant Appraisal by the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers.

The Guide for Plant Appraisal, 10th Edition, second printing is the most informative and comprehensive alignment of current knowledge of the approaches, processes, and methods of plant valuation.

Plant appraisal is the development of an opinion of value or cost of a site’s landscape elements such as trees.

“When a tree is damaged or destroyed, it is important to establish its true economic value to ensure that a fair settlement and compensation for the loss and cost of replacement or treatment of the damage is available,” said Lindsey Purcell, an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist® and urban forestry specialist. “Additionally, appraisal defines the ecosystem services in monetary ways to communicate value of social and health benefits.”

This edition of the publication represents a systematic evolution of plant appraisal that integrates new research into a deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the available methods. Included in this edition are detailed discussions of newly streamlined core concepts and terminology, a review of the organization and context of appraisal reports, and an updated emphasis on appraiser awareness of the environmental and ecological benefits plants provide.

“An arborist should be familiar with the essentials of plant appraisal as a part of the overall tree care management strategy,” Purcell said. “Understanding plant values can help with decision-making when applied to plant health care, treatment or mitigation options.”

The Guide for Plant Appraisal covers the three methods to appraise trees—cost approach, income approach and sale comparison approach. Also new to this edition are appendices and a glossary.

Check out this book and more in the ISA Store.