Your first assessment, start to finish

An assessment in RootFlare follows the basic tree risk assessment method, one tab at a time. You can do it on your phone at the tree or on a computer afterwards; it saves as you go.

Start the assessment

1. Open the tree’s page and click New Assessment. (Or go to Assessments, click New assessment and Choose a tree, or Add a new tree.)
2. Click Start fresh. Every assessment starts fresh from the tree’s details, so each visit is judged on what you see that day.

The assessment opens in field mode with its tabs along the top: Tree, Targets, Site, Crown, Branches, Trunk, Roots, Failures, Mitigation and Review.

Tip: Not sure what a term means? Tap the ⓘ beside it (Zone, Occupancy, Likelihood of failure and the rest) for a short definition.

The Tree tab

Start with the Tree section at the top: check the species, tag, DBH and Height. Mark each measurement Measured or Estimated. If you’d rather wrap a tape round the trunk, set DBH’s Enter as to Circumference and RootFlare works out the diameter.

Then fill in the Client and Site details, the Date and time assessed, the Tools you used and the Time frame (months).

Tip: A measurement brought over from the tree’s details says Carried over — confirm. Tap Confirm once you’ve checked it on site.

Targets

On the Targets tab, list what the tree could hit, most important first. Tap a preset under Add a target (Street and parked vehicles, Public sidewalk, Residence and so on) or Blank target, then set its Zone, Occupancy and Protection. Each occupancy choice says what it means, so you can pick the one that fits.

Site, Crown, Branches, Trunk and Roots

Each of these tabs is a checklist. Tap a condition to record it, then say whether it’s Present or Suspected and add details, a note or a photo. If a section has nothing to report, switch on No concerns in this section.

Failures

This is where the rating comes from. On the Failures tab:

1. Add a failure type under Branches, Trunk or Roots (for example Add branch failure type) and describe it under Failure Type. For a branch, add the part size, fall distance and load. Choose its Likelihood of failure and tick the Supporting observations.
2. Under Targets at risk, add each target this failure could reach.
3. For each one, choose the Likelihood of impact (RootFlare suggests one from the target’s occupancy) and the Consequence.

RootFlare then shows the Failure and impact and the Risk rating — Low, Moderate, High or Extreme. Ratings are always calculated from the risk matrix, never typed in.

Mitigation

On the Mitigation tab, add your recommendations (Crown cleaning, Reduction, Removal and so on) and tick the failure types each one addresses. RootFlare works out each option’s Residual risk: the risk left once the work is done.

Review

The Review tab brings the rest together:

• The Overall Tree Risk Rating: the highest risk rating of everything you rated, calculated for you.
• Any Inspection Limitations, with a note.
• When to reassess, whether an Advanced assessment is needed, and your Notes.

Finalize

When you’re done, click Finalize… at the bottom of the Review tab. (Preview report shows how the report will look first.) The finalize page lists:

• Fix before finalizing — anything missing, such as a failure type without a likelihood, each with a link to fix it.
• Warnings — things worth a second look, like an estimated DBH or no photos. Tick each one once you’ve reviewed it.

Then choose:

• Mark as Final Assessment when the assessment is complete. A final assessment can’t be changed or deleted.
• Mark as Preliminary Assessment when an advanced assessment is still to come. You’ll need the advanced assessment’s type and reason, and you can move it back to draft later.

The page then confirms it, with Go to Reports to make the report.