Arborist Reports are now a commonplace requirement for almost any building or development project.  Most Local Councils in the South and East suburbs of Melbourne will request you provide one as part of the process.  They are also often required as part of a Tree Permit Application or in order to appeal a rejection of one.  We have over a decade of experience in this field and have achieved successfull outcomes for countless clients.  Our reports can fast-track your property development or tree permit application saving you time, money and headaches.

Report types

Pre-Development Vegetation Assessments -  Prepared in the earliest stages of planning to determine the retention value of trees on your site.  This gives you a good indication of what trees you can, and may have to work with and which should not be a constraint to your design and nominate them for removal.  Allowing your architect to proceed with a concept design that will fit around the nominated Tree Protection Zone of retained trees.

Development Application Reports - Suitable if you are already half way through the town planning process and have been asked for an Arborist Report.  This will normally answer any concerns council has about how your proposal fits with the surrounding trees and may offer suggestions on modifying the proposed construction methods to enable your design to continue by working around the existing trees that are worthy of retention while recommending removal of any unsuitable or defective trees.

Tree Management Plans - A Tree Management Plan (TMP) is normally prepared for sites with large populations of mature trees such as golf courses, schools and commercial properties.   If you manage such a site, you are responsible and have a duty of care to provide a safe environment for its users.  A good TMP will identify hazardous trees and give a plan on how to manage them.  Removal may be required for some while others can have their risk rating lowered to acceptable levels by applying the appropriate tree management practices.  It will also make any recommendations for the longevity of significant trees that are to be retained.

Hazard Tree Risk Assessments - This type of report is usually applied to a smaller number of trees than a TMP.  It still assesses risk ratings and makes recommendations, however it is often used to justify the removal of a tree to a Local Council where a Local Law Permit or Vegetation Protection Overlay control the removal of trees.  We have succesfully had many declined permit applications overturned by our findings and reporting.  Often for hazard trees we will include aerial inspection by climbing the tree to inspect it's structural defects up close and can record it using helmet mounted high definition vidoe cameras.  This gives a unique perspective not witnessed by those that have only seen the tree from ground level.  We have found this is often the difference that gets an application "over the line" for our clients that may have otherwise been stuck with a dangerous tree had they not been able to present the evidence in the way we do.