Tree Appraisal

Formula for Basis Replication Cost - [1]

Basics are Unit Tree Cost per square inch of trunk, determined by the Regional Plant Appraisal Committee (RPAC) or local wholesale cost * cross sectional area

Basic Reproduction Cost = Unit Tree Cost * Cross Sectional Area

Regional Plant Appraisal Committee

• Mentioned in Purdue guide - [2]

Seminal Text

• Good review of the 'self-proclaimed standard' - [3]
• “ . . . where the appraiser is asked to estimate the cost ... to restore a site to some previous condition or utility, it may be appropriate to use cost methods without particular regard for market value or transaction behavior." is a fundamental tenet.
• It is the court of law that decides what is or is not going to be accepted as ‘fact’ and it is the court of law that decides what is or is not reasonable.
• that many court results include punitive damages that are quite separate from the appraised damages.
• Technique nomenclature:
  • cost of cure method is now functional replacement cost
  • Replacement cost is now reproduction cost
  • the trunk formula method is now the trunk formula technique
• There are decades of established practice, precedent, and in some cases statute law, where it is quite clear that plant values do not necessarily have to reflect real estate market values
• From 9th to 10th editions - One of the more troubling changes is that the familiar species, condition and location factors have been replaced with physical, functional and external depreciation factors. These real estate terms are an awkward, ill-conceived fit with plant appraisal. Species, condition, and location have been “factors in plant appraisal”since the 5th edition and remain so

Services

Tree appraisal is a professional service provided by consulting arborists.