Arborist - Arboriculture Expert Witnesses

John Booth, the Principal Consultant and Practice Director of Sylvanus Arboricultural Consultants Ltd., is a Chartered Aboricuturalist and Chartered Environmentalist and one of the UK’s most widely qualified Arboricultural Consultants. He has over 25 years experience in both the private and public sectors and has written numerous articles and papers for respected publications including the International Journal of Urban Forestry for which he is also a referee.

Mr. Booth and Sylvanus Ltd. are regularly instructed by both developers and Local Planning Authorities (LPA’s) who are keen to ensure a satisfactory outcome from the planning process, (i.e. an appropriate balance between tree retention and realizing a site's development potential). All such work is carried out in accordance with the guiding principles of British Standard 5837 ‘Trees in Relation to Construction – Recommendations.’

Mr. Booth is a Bond Solon/Cardiff University trained Expert Witness and a member of the Expert Witness Institute. He has many years experience in both courtroom and planning enquiries.

Services Include:

Tree Inspection & Survey - Single Tree, Large Population, Mortgage Lending, Safety and Subsidence Issues

Tree Preservation Orders (TPO's) and Conservation Areas - Detailed Specifications for Tree Work Applications for Trees with Statutory Protection

Trees and Development - Tree Surveys for Submission with Planning Applications
Tree Constraints Plans (TCP’s)
Tree Protection Plans (TPP’s)
Arboricultural Impact Assessments (AIA)
Arboricultural Method Statements (AMS)

Stephen George has over 40 years of Landscape Design and Construction Defect experience. Mr. George has owned and operated Landscapes West since 1980, and is still providing design / build and maintenance services to his clients. His projects have included commercial, apartments, condominiums, and residential landscapes. Mr. George is a member of the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA), the Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA), the Irrigation Association (IA), the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA), the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute (ICPI), and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating. Litigation Support - Stephen George is an Industry Expert for C-27 Landscape Construction. He provides litigation and consulting services to attorneys representing both Plaintiff and Defendant. His expertise has been called upon throughout the state of California. Mr. George's services include inspection and cost of repair and replacement, review of project drawings, photography / forensic imaging and construction documentation, aboriculture analysis, and landscape construction defects and failures. Areas of Expertise:

Landscape & Arboriculture Industry Standards Construction Defect and Failures Personal Injury Drainage and Irrigation Damage Fire Loss Evaluation

Maintenance Practices Residential Fire / Wildfire Paving Hardscape Fireplaces, Fire Pits, BBQ's Hardscape - Walls

View Stephen George's Consulting Profile.

John A. Harris, Principal of Landscape Economics, LLC, and President of Earth Advisors, Inc., is a LANDSCAPE ECONOMIST who has worked in the Arboriculture, Forestry, landscape and horticultural fields for over 20 years. Mr. Harris has provided reputable consulting, education and project management services for a wide variety of projects across the United States and internationally, in both temperate and tropical ecosystems.

Areas of Expertise:

Expert Witness for Arboricultural, Landscape, Nursery Values and Conditions

Landscape and Tree Risk Assessments

Landscape and Tree Value Appraisals

Landscape and Tree Damage Appraisals

Storm Damage Assessments and Recovery Plans

Landscape Health and Condition Evaluations

Arboricultural Health and Condition Evaluations

Landscape, Arboricultural, Forestry, Environmental Project Management

Environmental Due Diligence

Environmental Permitting and Mitigation Planning

Environmental Permit Negotiations

Municipal Tree Inventory and Management Plans

GPS/GIS Environmental Mapping Projects

Forest Resources Management Plans

Grounds Maintenance Practices

Arboricultural Practices

Julian Forbes-Laird is a Chartered Arboriculturist, Arboricultural Association Registered Consultant, experienced Expert Witness and Principal Consultant of Forbes-Laird Arboricultural Consultancy Ltd. Mr. Forbes-Laird has a professional practice working throughout the UK and overseas. He covers all aspects of arboriculture, specializing in planning, tree safety and litigation related matters.

Mr. Forbes-Laird is supported by a team of regionally based consultants, giving him national and international reach. He sets the standard for client service, works throughout the UK and abroad, provides commercially realistic strategic advice, prepares sensitive yet practical management plans, works within project design teams to evolve arboriculturally defensible layouts, wins planning appeals, and handles an enormous amount of work under pressing deadlines helping clients' achieve the best outcome. 

Mr. Forbes-Laird is widely recognised as an authority on legal issues pertaining to trees and is an experienced Expert Witness. His expert services include Pre-Action Case Evaluation, TPO Prosecutions, Forensic Accident Investigation and Tree Root Damage to Buildings. Other Services Include:

• Planning for Developers and Local Authorities
• Tree Preservation Orders (TPO's)
• Safety Inspections
• Subsidence
• Expert Witness
• Landscape Design

Siegfried Guggenmoos, B.Sc.(Agr.), P.Ag., Principal of Ecological Solutions, Inc. is a Professional Agrologist, with over 30 years of experience in the electric/gas utility corridor vegetation management business.

Mr. Guggenmoos has designed, implemented and provides assessments of utility vegetation management programs. In evaluating the prudence of vegetation management programs Mr. Guggenmoos has developed methodologies to assess their efficacy by predicting the impact of vegetation management program as practiced, on the future costs and reliability of electric systems.

Areas of Consultation:

• Storm hardening electric transmission and distribution systems to quantitatively manage tree-caused service interruptions
• Advise and develop protocols for assessments of power line tree exposure and mitigation
• Advise on least cost vegetation management by synchronizing economics and ecology
• Advise on impacts of vegetation management program alternatives, modifications
• Provide context for vegetation management, greenhouse gas mitigation measures in a competitive energy market
• Facilitate for management, staff, contractors and stake holders an actionable understanding of ecological principles and their impacts on vegetation management needs and costs
• Provide project management; expert review of programs and proposals
• Develop and advise on quantification, monitoring and verification of biotic greenhouse gas mitigation measures

David D. Hunter is a Registered Consulting Arborist  with ASCA, USFS Trained Tree Risk Assessor, ISA Certified Arborist. ISA Tree Risk Assessor Qualidied, , Professiona Plany Appraiser and Professional Forester. Providing both Expert Witness and Consulting Services. David D. Hunter has been called upon to testify in court and has helped his clients reach resolution prior to trial. His services include: Expert Witness in Arboriculture and Forestry, professional plant appraisals of landscapes, trees and timber trespass, Tree Forensics as to why a tree or tree part failed causing injury or death, tree health and fazard/ risk assessments, and insurance claims relating to damage to tree, or people/property famaged by trees. David D. Hunter has over 40 years of experience from working in forestry, wildland fire and the field of arboriculture. David D. Hunter has been a consultant and expert witness in therse fields for over 25 years. David D. Hunter services the western United States but is available nationwide.

Areas of Expertise:

• Arboricultural and Timber Trespass Issues
• Tree Forensics
• Tree Inventories
• Tree Surveys and Tree Protection Plans
• Tree Preservation Plans and Construction Sequences
• Hazard Tree Evaluations and Reports
• Appraisal of Loss Reports regarding Landscape Value Loss
• Arborist Reports

Training & Certifications:

• Certified as an Arborist PN-1068A, by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) - 1997-Present
• Graduate American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA), Arboriculture Consulting Academy
• Tree Failure Training Conference, Certified as Evaluator Portland, OR
• Registered Consulting Arborist membership in ASCA, RCA #408 (2003)
• US Forest Service Hazard Tree Risk Assessor Trained since 1979
• Certified Tree Risk Assessor (CTRA) by PNW ISA # PN-0150 (2006)ISA Tree Risk Assessor Qualified (2017)

View David Hunter's Consulting Profile.