This course may be available on our public training schedule for individual enrollment. See Training Schedule for upcoming Courses. How compromised is a tree with fruiting bodies (mushrooms, conks), cavities, and other indicators of decay? Arboriculture Canada is bringing a special guest from Germany to Canada on one date only in 2023! May 8 & 9 at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, ON, Frank Rinn, inventor of the RESISTOGRAPH and ARBOTOM (Owner, RINNTECH) discusses tree biology and biomechanics, and how breaking forces act on trees in various states of decay. He will demonstrate the most advanced technology and the most basic methods available for decay assessment. World-leading biomechanical scientists (Niklas, Spatz) have long shown that the VTA rules (t/R>1/3!, H/D<50!) are not applicable to mature defective urban trees and that the SIA fracture safety calculations are fundamentally wrong. At the same time, they proved that the method of Allometric Self-Referencing ("ASR") is scientifically sound and comparatively easy to apply for evaluating breakage safety, enabling arborists to keep mature urban trees longer at lower costs by still being legally safe and reliable. The information in this workshop will assist you in managing trees with decay more effectively.