Tree Risk Assessment Qualification

Tree Risk Assessment Qualification explained

The Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) is issued by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). This is the same organization that also issues the other 2 credentials that we list, Certified Arborist and Board Certified Master Arborist.

Only arborists who already have a recognized arboriculture credential, are eligible to complete the exam for TRAQ.

TRAQ, unlike the other 2 credentials, requires the arborist to complete a course prior to writing an exam.

The qualification lasts seven years.

Benefits of a Tree Risk Assessment Qualification

What is also unique about this qualification is that it niches down the arborist point of concern to exclusively the risks associated with the tree. There is no talk about how to plant a tree, how to do tree protection plans, how to use a chainsaw, etc. etc. The sole focus of the course and the exam is the risk of the tree.

The other great benefit of the qualification is that it places arborists in a classroom together. Whereas with the other credentials, arborists can prepare on their own, this credential places arborists in one room where they can learn from one another.

It produces real documentation. A TRAQ-based assessment results in a formal risk rating, not just a verbal opinion — the kind of paper trail that holds up for an insurance dispute, a municipal filing, or a legal proceeding.

Limitations of a Tree Risk Assessment Qualification

For all its good it still has its limitations.

Arborists who are well versed in tree risk assessments will tell you that 2 days is not enough to make someone competent at tree risk assessment.

Arborists who are great at tree risk assessments are typically those that have lots of experience. Experienced arborists have a long list of case studies that they can draw from to make a proper assessment. No two trees are alike. An experienced tree risk assessor should be able to draw from multiple similar examples to help make a proper assessment.

A person who has completed a two-day course on TRAQ doesn’t have that wealth of experience and case studies to help play off of to produce an accurate assessment.