Advanced Tree Risk Assessment Techniques in Partnership with the PNW ISA

Advanced Tree Risk Assessment Techniques

In Partnership with the PNW ISA

Click Here to Register with the PNW ISA

This course looks at the relationship between fungi and tree biomechanics, how that relationship can be measured and documented with high fidelity equipment, and how that information applies to real urban tree management decisions. A morning classroom seminar is followed by an afternoon of hands on work with modern decay detection technology, including resistance microdrills and sonic tomography, giving you real, practical experience with tools like the IML RESI PD600 and the PiCUS 3 on trees with known or suspected issues.

This is an advanced course. Participants should already have a working understanding of plant identification and biology, tree risk assessment and management, pests and diseases, and tree biomechanics. It's built for practitioners looking to move beyond Level 2 assessment into Level 3 technique, not as an introduction to tree risk assessment.

What You'll Learn

The challenges and limits of Level 2 assessments
Deconstructing tree risk: how and why trees actually fail
The problems with gathering reliable field evidence
Tree biomechanics and how fungi influence them
How trees respond to fungi and decay
Level 3 assessment technique
Decay detection, including interpreting resistance micro-drill readings and classifying wood decay
Hands on use of sonic tomography and resistance microdrills, with case studies and field demonstrations

Why Train With Us

Real equipment, real trees. This course is built around hands on time with the same high resolution decay detection tools used in professional practice, on trees with known or suspected issues, not simulations.

Trained by real professionals. Delivered in partnership with PNW ISA and led by trainers who are ISA Certified Arborists and TCIA Certified Treecare Safety Professionals with real field experience in advanced tree risk work.

Who Can Join

This course is for arborists, horticulturalists, landscape architects and designers, and serious tree and plant enthusiasts who already have a foundation in tree risk assessment and want to add Level 3 technique and modern decay detection tools to their practice.

What to Bring

A diameter or measuring tape, a clipboard, notepad, and pencil, a surveyor's or hi-vis vest, a mallet, and clothing appropriate for the weather.

Program Details

Duration: One day course (8 hours), 3 hours of classroom seminar and 5 hours of hands on practical learning
Location: BCPHC Training Facility, 18465 53rd Ave, Surrey, BC
Date: May 28, 2027, 8:00 am until 3:00 pm
Registration: This session is offered in partnership with PNW ISA. Click HERE to register and find current pricing on the PNW ISA website.