Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

John Bornsworth is the owner and Principal of Peninsula Environmental Group, Inc., with 20 years of tree-related and natural resources experience. John specializes in urban & community forestry planning and policy; tree forensics, pathology, risk management, and providing expert witness testimony.  As of January 2021: there are 14 ASCA Registered Consulting Arborists (RCA) and 30 ISA Board Certified Master Arborists (BCMA) in Washington out of 417 ISA Certified Arborists. Only 7 individuals hold both the RCA and BCMA credentials together. Roughly 300 professionals hold both credentials nationwide.  Attended and passed first Tree & Plant Appraisal Qualification training by ASCA. Less than 200 hold this credential nationwide, as of December 2023.  Routinely provide expert opinion and testimony on arboricultural, horticulture and vegetation management to areas of legal practice that include land use, real estate, trespass, and negligence.  Retained as expert witness on 63 projects and have provided sworn testimony 21 times.  Experienced as expert witness for both plaintiff and defendant.  Won 2023 Planning Association of Washington Sustainability Award for City of Tumwater Urban Forest Assessment and Management Plan.  Have consulted, reviewed, or revised over a dozen urban forestry plans, natural resource plans, and tree-related public policy and codes for jurisdictions across Washington state.  Developed urban forest benchmarking tools to be used in urban forest planning. Benchmarked Washington State urban forestry planning and practices to assist in urban forest planning and development.  Provided critical area policy and environmental policy navigation to thousands of clients in western Washington since 2015, including policies related to trees, wetlands, shoreline and other protected environmental assets.  Represent commercial arboriculture on Washington Urban & Community Forestry Council, since 2017. Vice-chair of council 2020-2022.