TREE APPRAISAL

Trees have value. There are many instances when you may need a value placed on a tree (or trees). These instances include inventory, preservation, insurance casualty loss, income, accounting, tax, finance, and litigation purposes. This value is best determined before such need arises but is often determined because such need arises. A competent appraiser can establish a credible and defensible value on a tree if it is healthy, damaged, dead or even absent.

An onsite visit is crucial for credibility and data collection. Travel to the site is 72.5 cents per mile (standard IRS deduction) plus lodging if appropriate.  Time onsite is $200 per hour.  I will use the data collected on site to create one of the following three documents below.

1.  A simple hand-written form appraisal of one tree is $500. The cost per additional tree(s) may be significantly lower. This will leave lots of unanswered questions that may need to be answered later.  Contact me to discuss this.
 
2.  A letter report will contain more information than a simple hand-written form appraisal. It may still leave many unanswered questions that may need to be answered later.  A letter report is $200 per hour, and it should take between eight and 18 hours.
 
3.  A booklet appraisal report is the tool you are likely to need if you expect litigation.  A booklet appraisal report is often over between 30 to 100 numbered pages.  It has a table of contents, a glossary, a works cited, and photographs.  It will have a thorough explanation of the approach, method and techniques employed for the appraisals contained within it. It will answer all of the questions and be a credible and defensible document.

A booklet appraisal report is $200 per hour, and I may spend between 18 and 65 hours or more on one depending on the assignment.