Dr Martin Dobson has acted as an expert witness for both claimants and defendants in relation to property damage caused by hazardous trees since 1997. Although trees are generally safe structures they can become dangerous and fail causing serious damage to properties. The role of a tree expert witness is to forensically examine the remains of the tree to determine whether the risk of collapse was reasonably foreseeable prior to the incident and whether the tree owner had been negligent in failing to inspect or maintain the tree.
Martin has considerable experience in providing expert witness reports and gained his experience working in the Tree Pathology department of Forest Research (part of the Forestry Commission) and the Arboricultural Advisory and Information Service. He was lead examiner on pests and diseases of trees for the Professional Diploma in Arboriculture for eleven years.
This Oak tree appeared to be in good health but it catastrophically failed in modest winds. Examination of the tree after the event revealed signs of fungal infection that would have been identifiable if the tree had been properly inspected before it collapsed.
