Frequently Asked Questions
Why are trees important?
Trees are vitally important components of most ecosystems, and urban environments are no exception. The benefits of trees include:
Oxygen production.
Carbon absorption.
Increased health and healing.
Diversion of wind gusts.
Reduced flooding impacts, including erosion.
Cooling through shade, mitigating the Urban Heat Island Effect.
Improved air quality through dust catching and absorption of harmful gases.
Provision of privacy and screening.
Habitat and food for native wildlife.
Reduction of noise pollution.
Increased rainfall and improved water quality.
Improved soil quality.
However, in urban environments trees must be appropriately managed to ensure the safety of people and property.
What is a Consultant Arborist?
A Consultant Arborist is an arborist who has qualifications equivalent to Level 5 (Diploma, or higher) under the Australian Qualifications Framework. Generally speaking, their role is to give advice on tree management rather than to provide tree pruning or removal services, although many offer both.
A Practicing Arborist is an arborist who undertakes the physical work of pruning or removing trees. Ideally, they will have qualifications equivalent to Level 3 (Trade Certificate), and may also be referred to as a Level 3 Arborist / AQF3 Arborist. Many Consulting Arborists begin as Practicing Arborists before continuing with their studies and obtaining their Diploma.
What is a Level 5 Arborist / AQF5 Arborist?
In the Australian context, Level 5 Arborist / AQF5 Arborist is just another way of saying Consultant Arborist (i.e. an arborist who has qualifications equivalent to Level 5 (Diploma) under the Australian Qualifications Framework).
Why do I need a Consultant Arborist?
Consultant Arborists are engaged for a range of reasons, including:
To provide expert advice regarding tree pruning, removal, and other management issues.
To provide expert advice regarding tree protection on development sites.
To provide expert advice tree species selection recommendations, and planting specifications.
To provide expert assessment of tree hazards and risk, and recommendations for mitigation.
To provide expert assessment of tree health and disease, and recommendations for remediation.
To provide tree reports, pruning specifications, protection specifications, or other documentation.
What is a Tree / Arborist Report?
Arborist Reports come in several forms, including:
Tree Hazard & Risk Assessment reports.
Tree Pruning Specification reports.
Pre-development Assessment reports.
Development Impact Assessment reports.
Tree Protection Plans.
Tree Management Plans.
Generally speaking, they are written to provide tree owners, tree workers and other contractors, and statutory bodies (e.g. Council) with recommendations and specifications for tree management and/or protection activities.
It is important to understand that the Consultant Arborist that produces the report is there to provide independent advice, not just write what the client wants. In general terms, trees are regarded as community assets under Australian legislation, even when they are located on private property. As such, even though the client engages the Consultant Arborist, they are not necessarily engaged to provide recommendations that reflect the clients’ desires.
Why do I need a Tree / Arborist Report?
Arborist Reports are provided for many reasons, including:
To provide assessment of tree hazards and the risks they pose to people and property, and recommendations for risk mitigation.
To provide tree owners or land managers with recommendations for maintenance and management of trees (i.e. pruning, removal, health remediation, protection during development).
To provide Practicing Arborists with specifications for pruning.
To provide development contractors with specifications for tree protection.
To provide assessment of tree health and disease, and recommendations for remediation.
To provide recommendations for tree species selection, and specifications for tree planting.
To provide tree valuations.
As supplementary documentation for applications to Council such as Development Applications or Tree Pruning / Removal Permits.
Why does Council require a Tree / Arborist Report?
Many Councils, especially in regional areas, do not have qualified arborists on staff, and so they require documentation from a Consultant Arborist as supplementary information when determining Development Applications or Tree Pruning / Removal Permits.
This may include:
Tree Hazard & Risk Assessment reports or Tree Pruning Specification reports to assist in determining the appropriate extent of tree pruning and / or removal.
Pre-development Assessment reports to provide documentation of the existing trees within a site proposed for development, and their retention values.
Development Impact Assessment reports to identify the likely impacts to trees on development sites, and to provide recommendations for how to minimise said impacts.
Tree Protection Plans to provide specifications for how to minimise the impacts of development activities.
Tree Management Plans to provide ongoing recommendations for the maintenance of trees, usually for sites with larger tree populations.
Why is Tree Risk Assessment important?
Trees are dynamic living organisms, with finite lifespans, and so will always exhibit some level of risk. Generally, the risk from trees is low, and can be remediated with simple control measures. In order to know the level of risk, it is important to have trees assessed regularly by a Consultant Arborist, particularly after events that could affect tree health and/or stability, including severe storms, bushfire, or construction activities. After undertaking an assessment, the Consultant Arborist can then provide recommendations and specifications for mitigating the risk, either verbally or in writing.
Why is Tree Pruning important?
Tree pruning is the most important tool in mitigating the risk trees pose to people and property, but it is very easy to get wrong, which can cause problems in trees over time. When done incorrectly, even seemingly minor pruning can result in significant hazards as trees become larger.
In arboriculture, there is a distinction between ‘pruning’ and ‘lopping’. Lopping involves the cutting of branches in a manner that results in stubs, which can diminish the aesthetic qualities of the tree, result in growth defects, and even allow for the introduction of fungal decay. Pruning is done in consideration of the tree’s anatomy, minimising growth defects and fungal decay, and so is better for the tree, and the people and property around it.
Given that incorrect tree pruning can result in hazardous defects, it is always recommended that all tree pruning be undertaken by a qualified Practicing Arborist (AQF Level 3 minimum) in accordance with the Australian Standard AS4373-2007 Pruning of amenity trees.
Given the hazardous nature of tree work, it is always recommended that all tree work be undertaken in accordance the Amenity Tree Industry Code of Practice 1998 and SafeWork NSW’s hazard control guidelines.
Why is Tree Protection important?
Trees on development sites are vulnerable to impacts from construction activities, which can result in their destabilisation and premature death. These impacts can be to both above-ground and below-ground tree parts. Given the equipment used on development sites, damage to trees can occur very easily and quickly, and can be very costly to remediate.
Ideally, a Consultant Arborist should be engaged for the duration of the development of any site containing trees, to provide services as the Project Arborist, which include:
Collaboration with the design team from the beginning of the project, to ensure that tree retention goals and/or Consent Conditions are not overlooked and so do not become obstacles during the construction phase.
Provision of a Pre-development Assessment report, to provide documentation of the existing trees within the proposed site, and their retention values. This should inform the design of the proposed development.
Provision of an Arboricultural Impact Assessment report, to identify the likely impacts to trees on the development site, and to provide recommendations for how to minimise said impacts for trees which are to be retained.
Provision of a Tree Protection Plan, to provide specifications for how to minimise the impacts of development activities during the construction phase. This should be provided to other development contractors, to ensure that trees and their root systems are given sufficient clearance from construction activities.
Undertaking of on-site supervision for works in proximity to trees, or the pruning of tree roots, as required.
Given the risks associated with development injuries to trees, it is always recommended that all works on development sites that contain trees are undertaken in accordance with the Australian Standard AS4970-2009 Protection of trees on development sites.
Why is Tree Health important?
The health of a tree determines its ability to protect itself against insect attack and disease, to produce new growth, and ultimately its lifespan. It is important to have trees assessed regularly by a Consultant Arborist, particularly after events that could affect tree health, including severe storms, bushfire, or construction activities. After undertaking an assessment, the Consultant Arborist can then provide recommendations and specifications for remediating any health issues identified, either verbally or in writing.
Why are Nest Boxes important?
More than 300 species - approximately 15% - of native Australian bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species are reliant upon tree hollows. In NSW alone, there are more than 150 hollow-dependent species, of which 40 are listed as threatened. Click here for a list of hollow-dependent species that inhabit the Coffs Coast.
Given that it can take decades or even centuries for tree hollows to form, but only a day for them to be removed, we are losing tree hollows at a far greater rate than new ones can develop. It is now at the point where the loss of hollow-bearing trees is recognised by the NSW Government as a ‘key threatening process’ to biodiversity. Herein lies the need for nest boxes.
Which animals live in Tree Hollows?
Approximately 15% of Australian vertebrate species require tree hollows at some stage of their life cycle, including possums, gliders, parrots, microbats, cockatoos, kingfishers, and ducks. Click here for a list of hollow-dependent species that inhabit the Coffs Coast.
Why are arborists so expensive?
Given the hazardous nature of tree works, Practicing Arborists must maintain high levels of Public Liability and Workers’ Compensation insurances, in addition to maintaining lots of equipment in safe working order. Furthermore, Consultant Arborists must maintain high levels of Professional Indemnity insurance. When engaging an arborist, it is vitally important to check that they are appropriately insured for the works they are engaged to undertake.