PRESS RELEASE
 Tree death soon after planting or transplanting is a serious problem for consumers. Recent reports from the University of Ulster and the University of Washington have found failure rates for tree plantings are typically 25 to 50 percent.
One of the main reasons for these high failure rates is that, in some cases, less than 5 percent of the actual root system may be moved with a tree. This results in severe water stress since the root system is too small to supply water to the tree crown.
According to Bruce Hagen, Urban Forester for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, “Most tree planting failures, are attributable to inadequate root ball size, poor follow up treatment, inappropriate timing, haste, and moving trees that are unhealthy, diseased or structurally unsound.”
Until recently, there has been no industry standard of practice to help landscape and tree care companies follow proper practices. As a result, consumers had no way of knowing what went wrong or who to blame when their newly planted tree died.
In some case major tree planting projects failed, resulting in multi-million dollar loses for communities trying to plant trees and large commercial companies trying to beautify their grounds.
To address these issues, the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) developed the first approved American National Standard for transplanting of trees, called ANSI A300 Part 6 Transplanting. The transplanting standard includes sections on preparing the tree, digging the hole, planting, and follow-up care. The standard is also an industry guide for work specification writing.
“The success of transplanting (relocating) large trees is dependent on many factors, e.g., size, species, age, health, soil conditions, timing, size of root ball and pre- and post-treatment. A300 Transplanting standards help ensure that critical procedures and treatments are applied.” added Mr. Hagen.
“The great thing for consumers is that they don’t have to wade through pages of legal text to get benefits provided by the standards. Consumers only need to make sure work proposals or contracts state that planting and transplanting will be done according to ANSI A300 standards and that the proposal provides specifications,” states Bob Rouse, the secretary of ANSI A300 standards for the Tree Care Industry Association. Mr. Rouse goes on to note that, “most arbitration programs and small claims courts recognize ANSI standards as the final authority in disputes, so the standards also provide consumer protection.”
Mr. Peter Becker, Vice President of Bartlett Tree Experts, notes “consumers should seek out companies that use and practice A300 standards in their work.” This sentiment is echoed by the Council of Better Business Bureau’s tree care tips brochure, which advises consumer to “Ask how the job will be done and if they will perform the work according to ANSI A300 standards.”
For more information about ANSI A300 standards for tree care maintenance, or to order ANSI A300 standards on-line, visit the online store.
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