When assessing internal decay, how do you choose between resistograph drilling and sonic tomography, and how do you explain the findings to risk-averse clients? What wording or visual in your report has consistently helped secure the right mitigation decision?

The decision to use resistance drilling or tomography is largely a decision for the tree owner or manager. When there is known or suspected internal decay, we'd present both options to the tree owner/manager and discuss costs, pros and cons of either option, and let them decide which route they want to go based on their situation. Findings are communicated objectively and impartially via an American National Standards Institute A300 compliant tree risk assessment report including an explanation of how we performed the assessment, what we found, and what our recommended mitigation options are. Findings would include the resistance drill results or the tomogram scan with a discussion of our analysis and implications. Ultimately the tree owner/manager is the decision maker, so we provide mitigation options and will provide a primary recommendation if they need guidance.