Habitat or Hazard – Wildlife Trees and Public Safety

Published by Rob Underhill on 10/30/2025 01/06/2026

On October 24, 2025, I had the pleasure of attending a training course on Galiano Island run by the University of Northern British Columbia on wildlife hazard tree assessment. The course was developed by the Wildlife Tree Committee of BC and is recognized by WorkSafe BC. The course represents an effort to standardize the compromise between habitat and hazard. By following a standard protocol, each assessor across British Columbia should reach the same conclusions about which trees represent a danger and require action.

Dead and dying trees are an essential component of healthy forests. They provide food and habitat for many species of birds, mammals, and amphibians, not to mention insects, lichens, fungi, mosses, snails, and slugs. Large standing dead trees become more valuable for some wildlife the more they decompose, especially for cavity nesting birds like the western screech owl. Not only are big old trees essential for wildlife, but they are also just plain cool! However, as these wildlife trees decay, they get closer to falling over. This can become a safety hazard in places where people are present, or buildings are located. So how do we balance wildlife habitat values with human safety and infrastructure?

Reasonably Safe Versus Safe

It’s important to recognize that the purpose of wildlife hazard tree assessment is not to eliminate risk from falling trees on public hiking trails or other areas. To eliminate risk, we would need to cut all the trees down, destroying the very things we value. Rather, the assessment protocols are designed to make the trails “reasonably safe” by mitigating visible hazards in a reasonable way, while recognizing wildlife tree values. There are limits to the hazards that can be detected during an assessment, since not all tree defects are visible. Also, the assessment assumes good weather conditions, no heavy rain or snow load, and low wind speed. It is important to note that the protocol for danger tree assessment along hiking trails assumes wind speeds of 40km/hour or less and does not account for wind gusts, heavy rain, or snow load. In other words, it is considered reasonably safe to expect trees or parts of trees to fall on trails when wind speeds are greater than 40km/hr or when there are wind gusts, heavy rains, or snow. Therefore, hazard tree assessment is not a replacement for the good judgement and personal responsibility of people visiting parks and other natural areas.

The protocol for deciding which trees are considered dangerous depends on the activities that will occur near the trees. For example, hiking trails fall under a low-risk rating because people are moving rather than staying in one place. Campsites are assessed using a different protocol and work involving heavy machinery or helicopters another. The hiking trail assessment (Level of Disturbance and Exposure 1 —LODE1) calls for assessors to look for three types of trees: first, trees that have already fallen over and are insecurely hung up on other trees; second, trees that are showing recent signs of leaning towards trails; third, trees with very unstable stems, for example more than 50% rotten. All other trees are excluded from assessment under LODE 1. The LODE 1 assessment is quicker to implement than higher LODEs, which is also important from the perspectives of resource availability and habitat protection. If the assessment took too long, it would cost land managers too much to implement, and if it was too strict on criteria for danger trees, it would result in a significant reduction in wildlife habitat. Thus, the assessment protocols represent a compromise of protecting wildlife habitat, reducing risk for people, and allowing continued public access to nature.

The Benefits of Public Access

Access to nature areas has many benefits for people and communities. People gaining inspirational experiences in nature are motivated to care for and steward natural environments. Natural areas provide valuable recreation opportunities that are important for mental and physical health. To continue accessing these amazing places, we must not place an unreasonable burden on land managers to make forests safe. Maintaining personal responsibility is essential. If the burden of your safety is put too heavily on land managers, the expected outcome would be less public access to nature.

How you Can Help

• Use trails responsibly. Avoid forested areas under high wind conditions or heavy snow load, and take responsibility for your own safety by looking up as well as down.
• Report dangerous trail conditions such as insecurely hung-up trees, recently leaning trees, or very unstable trees, to the appropriate land manager. Conditions can change quickly, and land managers rely on visitors to let them know when trees are blocking trails or hanging overhead. On SḴŦAḴ | Mayne Island we have four land managers to be aware of:
  • Bennett Bay is managed by Parks Canada,
  • Mt. Parke and St. John Point are managed by CRD Parks,
  • Edith Point is managed jointly by the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Mayne Island Conservancy (trail hazards reported to Mayne Conservancy),
  • and the many community parks are managed by the Mayne Island Parks and Recreation Commission.