----- Original Message -----
From: andersonarb@xxxx.com
To: UK Tree Care
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2012 4:42 AM
Subject: Re: Whole of Government Accounts - Highway Asset Valuation
BA Just so long as it doesn't come up with some lunatic figures that
convince people they can't afford to grow a tree, or worse; make the
Politicians ignore trees cos those Arborists they're all clearly, well; out
of their trees.....
SC It's about framing both the
questions and answers.
BA2 I wouldn't disagree with any of those points Scott. I'm simply looking
at the way the average Joe and Joanna might interpret such figures.... It
might be patronising of me but I'm not sure that the public at large would
bother reading the questions or understanding them.
SC2 If the public at large have asked a question, the answer should
address their question. If the question is asked by a decision maker (budget
committee, John's government Minister, UF manager, judge or jury), the answer
should address the question. Particularly if this is about policy or
budgeting for long life assets, decision maker and valuer ought have had a
pretty good dialog to frame the questions and how the answer will be derived.
So where does "lunatic figure" fit into that? If Joe and Joanna watching
the telly or reading the newspaper (does anybody do that anymore?) think a
figure is lunatic, OK. They probably think the price of petrol or a pint is
lunatic too. Does that mean all valuation should be reduced to a single
question? Or a single answer that purports to fit all questions? I think
media types and marketing types understand very well what sells to Joe and
Joanna and aim pretty low to appeal to them. Patronizing? Yup. OK it is
what it is. But are we selling tree value to Joe and Joanna? If we are we
better understand their question. i-Tree in some respects is doing that.
Here, look, all these smart scientists tell us we've been doing it right and
we get a positive return on what we spend looking after the trees. So
re-elect us so we can keep on spening you money that way.
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