There is a special arborist certification just for risk assessment (Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) and you can find those by looking it up through the International Society of Arboriculture listing. I have given you a link to certified arborist in the Jacksonville area and a few of them have this special risk assessment certification too. You can feel comfortable contacting any of them.

But, let’s talk about a few things every homeowner needs to know. Simply because a tree is leaning does not make it a risk tree. Generally, look for uplifting roots on one side of the tree which could indicate the tree has lifted from the ground. Exposed roots are not the same thing. If there are uplifted roots, there may be a depression in the landscape on the opposite side of the risky leaning tree. Extensive flooding, which removes the oxygen from the soil, can cause the roots to uplift and potentially cause the tree to decline and this can result in a risky tree. The older a tree is the less likely it can adjust to disruptions around the tree roots. So, no digging and planting ornamental shrubs around trees especially close to the trunk. Keep grass and plants as far away from the tree trunk as possible. The larger and older the tree, the farther away any plants should be, including lawn grass. Grass and trees are terrible partners. Allow an area of several feet away from the trunk of the tree to be just soil and air then mulch (2-3 inches deep) several feet outside the plain soil area. Let’s start giving our trees the best chance to survive which means as little competition with other plants as possible. If we start showing how to best take care of trees, maybe others will follow our example.

http://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist/findanarborist

0