The guide is recognized by the courts and insurance companies as a reliable arbiter in settling damage claims or assessing losses in property values. Without it, homeowners attempting to receive compensation for damage to trees could be entangled in endless debates based on nothing else but opinions. Five green industry associations collaborated in the making of the national guidelines. Each one endorses the publication by urging property owners to engage only those appraisers who rely on its procedures as their primary source in making their calculations. The groups are the International Society of Arboriculture, the American Association of Nurserymen, Associated Landscape Contractors of America, the American Society of Consulting Arborists, and the National Arborist Association.
Trees are therefore tangible assets.
Some homeowners have added comprehensive coverage riders to their home insurance policies to cover at least limited storm losses to shade and ornamental trees. In all cases, claims must be supported by credible figures. Providing those credible figures can be confounding, especially if informed and universally accepted guidelines are lacking. Evaluation must take into account tree species and size, along with tree health prior to the storm, landscape value of the tree in relation to the buildings and other components of the overall landscape, the extent of damage to the tree, and the cost of restoration both to a particular tree and to the overall landscape. The guidelines agreed to by the five associations take all of these factors into consideration.