The CAVAT Group are delighted to be launching the updated CAVAT Full Method on March 27th, supported by a brand new fully illustrated Guide for Practitioners and survey spreadsheet.
The Full Method has been revised to address the under-valuing of those trees that are extensively managed to best fit with their context, for instance urban pollards. The revised Method is launched following extensive review and deliberation, and testing with experienced practitioners.
Additional steps have been added that evaluate the completeness and quality of different elements of the tree crown and canopy to aid objectivity in tree assessment.
The new Guide for Practitioners has been designed as an illustrated manual to support accurate application of CAVAT in the field.
The refreshed CAVAT survey spreadsheet includes additional helpful tools including user instructions and a Crown Completeness Calculator. The map and table of Community Tree Index areas have been updated and extended.
The values of trees are increasingly recognised by society and government. This is reflected in the growing reliance on CAVAT and other valuations systems to support decision making for national, regional and local tree strategy and planning, including planning permissions for new developments (for instance Policy G7 Trees and Woodlands in The London Plan 2021).
For further information on CAVAT and for free download of the Guide for Practitioners and the CAVAT spreadsheet (from March 27th) visit ltoa.org.uk/resources/cavat.
Training on the revised method is available across the UK. To register your interest email: enquiries@MTOA.co.uk.
The CAVAT Group is pro bono initiative who seek to ensure that CAVAT is an established, defendable system that can be relied upon to inform decisions about amenity trees; encourage and facilitate CAVAT training; and promote CAVAT to see it widely adopted as a complementary system for tree experts and decision makers, planners, and policy makers.
The Group gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Chris Neilan, the London Tree Officers Association (LTOA), the Municipal Tree Officers Association (MTOA), Birmingham City Council, London Borough of Barnet, Oxfordshire County Council, Leicester County Council, Treework Environmental Practice, and Forest Research to CAVAT and the CAVAT Group.