FUFC Foundational Friday Webinar: Tree Law for Arborists: What You Need to Know Before You Touch a Tree

Description

Title: Tree Law for Arborists: What You Need to Know Before You Touch a Tree
Speakers: Joe Samnik & John Snow

Description: 

When a tree job goes wrong, the problem usually started before the first cut. Who actually owns the tree? Who has the authority to approve the work? What did the written scope say, and what does your file show six months later, when a customer, neighbor, insurance carrier, or city reads it?

This webinar is built for working arborists, climbers, sales arborists, and company owners in Florida. It treats tree law as a jobsite problem, not a courtroom problem. Participants will learn how to sort a job before pricing it, how to read Florida’s residential tree-risk statute (§ 163.045) without overreading it, where pruning becomes trespass or property damage, and how to build a job file that protects the company.

What you’ll learn

•  How to confirm ownership and authority for a tree, including boundary trees and encroaching branches and roots, before any work begins.

• A five-question check to run before pricing a job, covering ownership, client, local and HOA rules, the type of work, and the written record.
• What Florida Statutes § 163.045 does and does not allow for documented high-risk trees on residential property, and who is qualified to sign that documentation.
• Why written specifications, the property line, and published standards such as ANSI A300, ANSI Z133, and ISA Best Management Practices matter when a job is questioned.
• What belongs in your file before and after the work, and what to do on site when a job starts to feel like a lawsuit.

⚖️ Disclaimer: This webinar provides educational information only and does not constitute legal advice. 

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