ISA HK/China (Professionals) --- Report Writing requirement for the Qualified Arborist (QA) Credential

Dear Station Members,


ISA HK/China has received a number of enquires on the report-writing requirements since its announcement of the Qualified Arborist (QA) credential to prospective candidates who can demonstrate their ability to produce quality reports, in addition to meeting the other five requirements as stated in the Stated Mail on 29 September 2010.

The most frequently asked questions are the format and the overall length of the report to be submitted at the time of application.

Arborist Report format and overall length vary depending on the purpose of the report. It can be presented as brief notes in a pro-forma manner, or as descriptive presentation on more complicated issues, such as expert witness statements or proof of evidence for public inquiries.

In order to recognize the candidate's ability to produce a clear, concise, complete and competent report, ISA HK/China expects the candidate to submit a professional report, between the pro-forma approach and the specialist report. A 10-page report should consist of 6 pages of typed essay-writing material on introduction, relevant background information, methodology employed, description of objective facts, conclusion and recommendation. With a font size of 12, the overall length of the essay-writing part should be around 2,000 words.

Please note that anything of a table nature, e.g. The Tree Risk Assessment Form 2 of TMO, contents similar to the Tree Evaluation Form of Matheny & Clark, any self-made entry in table form, etc., is not considered to be essay-writing, & should be presented in a table or appendix. Only paragraphs with complete sentences to describe events can be counted as essay-writing.

The purpose of introducing the Qualified Arborist (QA) credential is to recognize the QA's communication skill especially in producing quality written report. All candidates who wish to apply for the Qualified Arborist (QA) credential should observe the report-writing requirements before submitting their applications.

Please also note that this Committee will need to first approve your QA application, before we shall ask you to pay the HK$1,600.00 report-reviewing fee into the bank account of ISA HK/China. Upon receipt of the said fee, this Committee will advise you to submit your Arborist Report for our technical review.

Best regards

Joseph Lee
Deputy Station Manager
Registration and Disciplinary Committee