About Us

The director and senior consultant of the company is:

David C Dowson BA (Hons) FICFor. F.ARBOR.A Dip ARB (RFS) Tech Cert (ARBOR A) CEnv CUEW Cert Ed.

With 30 years experience in arboriculture caring for and managing trees including 8 years of experience of solicitors instructions regarding trees and legal issues.

I am a chartered arboriculturist and a Arboricultural Association registered consultant. Also a University of Cardiff/Bond Solon Certificated Expert Witness.

I have specialised in the area of tree inspection and the duties required of an owner undertaking investigations for the Health and Safety Executive, solicitors and insurance companies where fatalities and serious injuries have occurred as a result of fallen trees or failed parts.

Types of Cases we undertake:

Tree failure causing damage to property

Investigation of inspection procedures when a failure occurs in a tree with a foreseeable defect

Action of roots causing damage to property

High hedges disputes

Investigation of the causes of tree failures

Most recent cases include:

	Lady injured by a tree branch falling from a neighbour’s tree.
	Boy killed by a falling tree.
	Women in a vehicle killed by a fallen tree.
	Chainsaw operative killed whilst engaged in felling a tree.
	Damage to property by fallen tree.
	Damage by roots to paving stones caused by a neighbour’s trees.
	Subsidence damage to property caused by Local Authority owned tree.
	High Hedges dispute – preparation of an appeal against a Local Authority decision.

Engaged by solicitors on behalf of claimants and defendants, police in preparation for the Crown Prosecution Service, Health and Safety Executive, private individuals, Local Authorities and large organisations.

Examination of tree parts following tree failure and when a person has been injured

Specialisms

Tree inspection procedures, tree inspection management systems, training of tree inspectors, damage to property by direct and indirect means, chainsaw related accidents.

I have given evidence in court, at a coroner’s inquiry and at planning appeal hearings.

I am the author, instructor and verifier of the LANTRA awards Professional Tree Inspection course.

Recently I have attended the following CDP events in relation to the risk posed by trees:

Arboricultural Association Annual Conference

	The future of tree risks – N Faye
	Avoiding risky mistakes – Prof D Ball
	A Barristers view on responsibility for trees and legal liability – R Stead
	Risk and Litigation and the H&SW Act – C Green
	HSE sector minute – F Hirst
	Strategic risk management – J Watt
	Risk decision analysis – Prof D Ball

Tree Environmental Practice seminar part 2

	Evolution of risk –where not to go – Prof. D Ball
	Tree surveys and risk assessment – S Pointer
	Tree related risk and legal liability – a barristers perspective - R Stead
	The risk of not getting things right – a challenge for arboriculture Prof. J Adams
	Strategic risk management for tree managers - J Watt
	Signposts for the Arboricultural profession – Prof. D Ball
	Cost benefits: the context for valuing trees and their risk – Prof. C Baines

Tree Legal Ltd

Experts in Arboriculture