This article introduces post-failure diagnosis as a systematic practice in amenity arboriculture, drawing on the history of anatomical pathology in medicine. When a tree fails in a public area, the remains are typically removed before any investigation, depriving practitioners of a crucial source of diagnostic information. The authors argue that examining failed trees, much like the medical autopsy, is an essential tool for developing clinical expertise and reducing diagnostic biases, particularly survivor bias. Drawing on parallels with Abraham Wald's analysis of Second World War aircraft damage patterns and the work of Morgagni and Laennec in medical history, the article proposes that post-failure diagnosis should become a rigorous and systematic practice in arboriculture, with structured observation protocols and data recording. Published in ARB Magazine, Issue 205, Summer 2024, The Arboricultural Association. Mots-clés : post-failure diagnosis tree failure clinical arboriculture anatomical pathology survivor biasdiagnostic bias tree risk assessment amenity arboriculture structural assessment expertise
Trouillet et al. (Sat,) studied this question.