About
Dr. Julian Dunster has unique academic and professional qualifications. He is a Registered Consulting Arborist, a Registered Professional Forester, and a Registered Professional Planner, and in addition to two degrees in forestry, he holds a Doctorate in Regional Planning and Resource Development. Julian has over thirty years of hands on experience from assignments all over the world, and his innovative work has been recognised with many awards. Julian uses these qualifications and expertise to provide you with practical, science based information, combined with a pragmatic understanding of what will or will not work well.
The result is a defensible, and cost effective solution that will help you decide how best to manage your trees. His reports, letters, specifications and photography communicate critical concepts and possible solutions in an easy to understand manner that will meet or exceed your expectations, and agency requirements. He has served as an expert witness in court cases, and tree fatality inquests in Canada and Hong Kong. Julian is a regular speaker at industry conferences, workshops and seminars. He has worked and lectured in Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Great Britain, Nepal, New Zealand, Scandinavia, and the United States. Working at the leading edge of his profession, Julian is published in scientific journals, and trade magazines. Julian is the lead author of often cited text, Arboriculture and the Law in Canada, and is co-author of the award winning book The Dictionary of Natural Resource Management.
Julian designed and implemented the much acclaimed Tree Risk Assessment and Exam (TRACE) course, leading to the designation Certified Tree Risk Assessor. Copies the manual are available for purchase in the publications section of this site. He is also the lead author of the course manual for the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) launched by the ISA in 2013. He is a fully qualified instructor in both programmes. He has trained arborists in risk assessment in Hong Kong, and all over North America.
Julian has worked on many projects, policy analysis and development, and several high profile environmental impact assessments, including writing the National Guidelines for EIA of Forestry projects in Nepal. He was the lead author of the book Forestry and Assessment. Development of the Class Environmental Assessment for Timber Management in Ontario. He has conducted audits of forestry practices in Chile, and was a member of the audit panel for the FRDA (Forest Resource Development Agreement) project in British Columbia.
In addition to his work as a consulting arborist and land use planner, he also undertakes sophisticated timber and wood testing work for engineers, architects, home owners, and government agencies. Using state of the art technology Julian provides technical reports documenting decay in trees and timber structures. Examples include the famed Hollow Tree in Vancouver, The Kinsol Trestle on Vancouver Island, totem poles, timber framed buildings, piers, docks, and bridges. More information about the Hollow Tree can be found here. Information about the Kinsol Trestle can be seen here.
Julian is an avid photographer, and has an extensive collection of images from around the world. His technical photography is integral to all his reports and lectures, and is designed to provide a fair and accurate representation of the evidence involved.