It is very obvious that trees give us are visual beauty in the landscape and the tranquility of a wood. Greater values include wildlife habitat, pollution filtering, and reducing the harmful effects of both weather and climate change. Ash trees in particular have important social value as part of our culture and British history. As if all those benefits weren’t enough, there’s an ever-increasing body of scientific evidence shows that trees are essential for our physical health, mental wellbeing, and quality of life.
Compared to other everyday risks we always readily accept, the overall risk of harm to us from branches or trees falling is extremely low. The annual risk of being killed or seriously injured is less than one in a million, with about 6 people within our British population of 65 Million being unfortunately killed a year. That’s so low, we’re at greater risk driving on about a 400km/250mi round trip to visit friends for a weekend than from branches or trees falling over an entire year. Given the number of trees we live with, and how many of us pass them daily, being killed or injured by a tree is a rare event; one that usually happens during severe weather.
So FROBAW agrees with using the Tolerability of Risk Framework (ToR), an internationally recognised approach to making risk management decisions. It’s used by duty holders where they manage a risk that’s imposed on the public. ToR defines Broadly Acceptable and Unacceptable levels of risk. Between them is a region where the risk is Tolerable if it’s ‘as low as reasonably practicable’ (ALARP). Put simply, ALARP means the risk is Tolerable if the costs of the risk reduction are much greater than the value of the risk reduction. This concept is also practiced in other aspects of daily life such as Rail and Air travel.
FROBAW have agreed that using a Tree Risk-Benefit Management Strategy such as VALID or QTRA allows a duty holder to know the real risk of harm from trees on their land.
FROBAW has therefore commissioned its own Tree Risk-Benefit Management surveys:
FROBAW’s VALID Tree Risk Benefit Management Strategy
FROBAW Tree health survey and Risk Assessment