From ANSI A300 (Part 5)-2012, Management of Trees and Shrubs During Site Planning, Site Development, and Construction:

52.22 tree resource evaluation: A written document describing the tree resources present on the site and adjacent properties encroaching on the project site, with information collected or provided from an inventory or survey such as: tree species, size, location, condition, plant community, structure, health, and population estimate.

Essentially, a tree resource evaluation is a tool arborists can use for structuring, planning and selling work, either preservation or removal-oriented, depending on what is discovered and learned throughout the evaluation process.

It is:

1.  A document
2. Coupled with an inventory or survey
3. List of information
4. Justification for proposed work
5. A more accurate way of planning

A tree resource evaluation can shed light on many projects, for both the tree owner and the arborist. This document can be very helpful in the planning stages of a project, not just in cases of trees and construction/infrastructure change, but any tree or population of trees that may require some process of arboriculture to occur on or around them.

It can also be a powerful way of resolving disputes between neighbors or community members over certain tree-related issues. By revealing what trees are important and why, and which ones may be a risk, at risk or threatening to the safety of others, people can see on paper the thought process behind the decisions for certain aspects of tree care or tree removal.

A tree resource evaluation adds more weight to the cultural decisions arborists make, and also provides a professional way of presenting the values of trees in the urban forest to the people that live with and around them.

It is a simple yet powerful tool in the planning of any arboriculture project.