Two inspection cases with one common procedural problem. What could that possibly be?
The following examples detail the interaction between myself and my wife and two Parks Department inspectors responding to different service requests. Neither was there because of routine inspection of the trees.
Inspection Case 1. He Came To Inspect A Dying Tree
One summer afternoon two years ago, I saw a Parks Department inspector observing a tree. From across the street from the tree, he determined that the tree was dying. I asked how he could tell this. And he gave me a lesson in spotting dying trees.
Besides the rather large hole at the base of the tree, he pointed out something else of importance. The color of the tree was different than other thriving trees. There were also branches no longer producing leaves.
No Notes
He notices all these things while enjoying his ice cream cone. He said the tree had to come down. Now, this sounds good. Right? But here’s the thing. He took no pictures. I did not see him write down anything. You would think that a city agency would mandate such things. It is possible that he wrote all this down later. I don’t know.
I do know that tree was removed months later. Because I was not the person that complained about this tree. I do not have any documentation.
Inspection Case 2. How To Inspect A Tree Without Leaving Your Car
This case did not go as well as the previous one. That is if you consider the above example going well.
This time, my wife spotted a Parks Department person observing a hanging branch from her car. This branch hung from other branches in a vertical position over a parking spot.
Imagine you as the driver parking your car. Then, exiting your vehicle and looking up to see a hanging branch aimed at your face.
Think Sword Of Damocles.
Inspection Conclusion: The Hanging Branch Can Wait
This inspector deemed the branch of little threat and told my wife it could wait until pruning. She was wrong. Weeks later, I heard the branch hitting the ground. I looked out my window and saw the branch on the ground.
There were no injuries this time. This one-time alternate side parking did some good. No one had parked in that spot.
Summary
In case 1, I did not have anything to do with reporting that tree to the Parks Department. Eventually, they cut down the tree. But that was a long time after the inspection.
In case 2, I did receive an email that the tree being scheduled for pruning. I did not receive an email about when the pruning would happen. Not that it mattered. The problem corrected itself when the tree branch fell. And I don’t recall any tree pruning taking place.
In both cases, neither I nor my wife saw the inspectors taking notes. And no photos of the trees were taken. As I said, it is possible that both submitted detailed written reports. However, the email I received in the second case carried no detailed information.
The Parks Department should follow this practice. And use those reports to release detailed responses to service requests.
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