Brisbane - Gold Coast Diploma Qualified Arborist Tree Reports
Often trees are protected and require a legitimate qualified arborist report to be submitted
to council for tree works or removal.
Developers often have to submit an arborist report for the trees on site, the report may be as simple as identifying the trees with information such as DBH (diameter at breast height) and height of the tree. It could also have to include trees to be protected during construction with recommendations of how to achieve that.
You may also want a tree or landscape management plan ... being qualified in both horticulture and arboriculture I can report or provide a consultation on all your garden's needs.
With 11 years local experience hands on working with trees and residing here since 1990 from Adelaide I have
a great understanding of what stresses, diseases and pathogens are affecting our trees and plants. Not so long ago and still with us today
was the Lantana Bug fiasco which affected Fiddle Wood trees. That was researched and well documented with Qld DPI however
there's little said or mentioned about the years of observed decline in the Metrosideros species here. Recently I wrote a report
on the decline of Metrosideros especially the variegated. These are the sort of advantages you get when local and observe the failings of certain species.
Tree Protection Zones - TPZ - On Development Sites
Often as part of the Development Application (DA) trees on the site will require a report with information on how they will be selected and protected during the development process.
The standard is AS4970 - 2009 Protection of Trees on Development Sites
This means if the process is calculated and administered incorrectly there could be a waste of space if too much room was taken and on the other hand a declining or dead tree if too little was provided. Some sites have a bond arrangement on trees. Bonds can be for various periods of time. Authorities have woken up to the fact that trees take years to die and no sooner than the builder sells off the last of the homes the tree dies. So bonds can be held for years and only cleared with an arborist report confirming the health and longivity of the tree.The Project Arborist
A quote from the new AS 4970 standard writes ....
1.4.4 Project arborist
The person responsible for carrying out the tree assessment, report preparation, consultation with designers, specifying tree protection measures, monitoring and certification. The project arborist will be suitably experienced and competent in arboriculture, having acquired through training, qualification (minimum Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) Level 5, Diploma of Horticulture (Arboriculture)) and/or equivalent experience, the knowledge and skills enabling that person to perform the tasks required by this Standard.
As you can see by the above quote it's important to work alongside the Project Arborist from conception stage. Often we get called in after the design has been submitted and council questions the tree issues, it's almost like the surveyor and developer never saw those trees and desire a blank canvas. Other times poor choices are made on which trees to retain.
Recently on a site where 6 trees were designated for retention I was asked to provide a report on the criteria for a TPZ, how the trees would be cared for during and after the development process. Yes, occasionally you need what is called a Vegetation Management Plan (VMP) also so that after the event trees survive and flourish, anyway of the 6 trees only one ended up
retained due to the poor condition of the trees. Obviously the scope of the report changed and my role was expanded to assess the trees which frankly should have been done in the first place however often people such as landscape designers/architects/builders and even ecologists think they're capable of the task. Trees are a specialist area and working with them every day means a better understanding of them.
One Size Does Not Fit All
In the new AS4970 Standard a TPZ of 12 X DBH (diameter at breast height or measured at 1.4m above ground level), as a radius from center of trunk, has been allocated. For example a 500mm DBH tree will have a 6.0m radial TPZ which is 113m2 and a 1m DBH tree will have 12.0m radial TPZ which is 452m2.
How We Can Do Better Than 12 X DBH
Land is expensive and every m2 you can develop without negatively impacting protected trees is like money in the bank. Knowing what each tree needs is the expertise you will get here (including selecting trees for retention), there is no one size fits all and each site and tree species has it's own unique needs. The earlier you involve us in your project the better as lead time is crucial where we can even commence root invigouration, root baiting and tighten the TPZ area giving you more land to build on. The AS4970 standard does allow for deviation as long as it is sound and justified by an appropriately qualified and experienced Project Arborist. Often large mature trees are transplanted with far less than 12 X DBH of soil, the key is preparation and after care.
Structural Root Zone SRZ vs Root Protection Zone RPZ
There's two root areas or zones (SRZ and RPZ), many wont discuss this or perhaps know of it. The Structural Root Zone is closer to the trunk, this is where the larger sized structural support roots are. Encroaching into the SRZ puts the tree at risk of catastrophic failure. In most tree upheavals regardless of the size of the tree the soil ball (root plate) that goes over with the tree is generally within 2.5m of the outside of the trunk. There is a formulae we use to calculate the SRZ and obviously on an individual tree basis (species, location, age etc) we adjust the SRZ. The SRZ is not the area the tree needs to survive, it's the area around the tree to ensure stability.
The RPZ (Root Protection Zone) is further out where the finer feeder and hairy absorbing root system is. It's those smaller finer roots that gather the resources for tree survival, they usually dominate the top 30cm of soil and travel far further than the drip line of the tree. Adequate area has to be provided and cared for ... for those roots to sustain the tree.
Adjustments or compensating for RPZ losses where buildings come close to the SRZ can be done as shown in the diagram. It should be noted that for large established trees it may still have an adverse impact as roots take time to grow and the redistribution of resources from one side of the tree to the other is a complex matrix for the tree to do so preparation is vital. Where time allows nurturing and luring the root system to the known TPZ is desireable giving the tree time to compensate for the impeding root loss. Root cutting and treatment is something we also do, when working close to the SRZ it's wise not to tear or crush roots, decay can enter the root system and the tree stem. Proper cutting and treatment minimizes the risk of that occuring, cut roots can regrow too.
Ethical Unbiased Factual Advice
It would be most unethical to get a tree report to try to remove a healthy tree simply because it's protected by council and you dont want it. As a professional consulting arborist I tell the truth and assess the tree. I have often walked away where some-one has requested a tree report to condemn a perfectly healthy tree with little target value or chance of failure. Some of the reasoning is, they want the tree gone to gain a view!
Be careful when getting some-one, there's no shortage of operators who need to feed their machinery to make a dollar so their reporting is biased toward needless pruning or removal with little or no supporting facts. You'll also find that these types seldom put anything in writing, offer free advice, and have incredible xray vision to arrive at the conclusions they do ... don't get sucked in! I have seen some appalling reports, in one case a woman was told 10 of her gum trees were dangerous around her house on acreage property and needed to be cut down. The "arborist" made that assessment in a few minutes of quickly wandering around the yard, no defects on some of the trees. Upon second opinion we removed 3 trees (one was dead) and pruned a few of the others with a couple having no need for anything.
Brisbane - Gold Coast Arborist Report Costs and Information
Reports generally have a purpose, there's a reason for it. It could be "will the tree survive construction?" through to something as open as "how safe is this tree?".
Costs of reports depend upon time and tools etc. If we have to get lab analysis of tissue or soil, if we have to drill test, do root inspection, aerial inspection etc. Also it can occur where a report submitted to council is followed up by council requesting more detail or information, so just when you think it's finished you are back in the field doing extra work and documentation.
For the reasons above we charge on an hourly rate basis for tree reports. The costs are in line with many other professions and trades in the $100/hour vicinity plus of course any additional fees for lab tests or specialist tools on top.
A good tree report will provide management options. When I write reports I play the devils advocate to my own report, I interrogate myself to think both sides of the argument, to keep or to remove/prune etc. Now this is a very important factor as some-one who is purely academic in their experience may not know of all the options and practices or even have the experience to know what is preferable for certain species.
Reports are generally in PDF form, can be emailed and easily distributed to relevant authorities/builders etc. Part of the report procedure we have is to take pictures and even video, which are linked to your report. There's nothing more visually conclusive than to see clear and concise graphics including video of a site. I have extensive experience in video editing and output for internet. We even have a helmet mounted high resolution camera with sound for aerial inspections.
In this thread at Tree World you'll actually get to see a video I shot along with pics of a hazardous tree on the side of the road, a copy of the email sent to Logan city Council and how nothing was done and the tree failed 18 months later. By miracle the tree managed to miss most obstacles including people and traffic when it fell.
Certificates and Competencies
Below are my qualifications, these are real qualifications not a generalized "our specialist staff" type of hype you can get on the internet, I go out and do the work, from quote to written reports, you deal with Eric Frei and me only. Furthermore I am the owner of a tree site called Tree World where I post under my member name Ekka. The forum is open to everybody and loaded with lots of documents, pictures and video free for people to use and download. Of particular interest is this section loaded with documents.
Download 5.8mb PDF of certificates by clicking here
Additional Courses Undertaken in Arboriculture
2006
Enspec
Tree A-Z Assessment on Development Sites and Report Writing
Presented by Jeremy Barrell
2 day course held at 111 George Street Brisbane
2005
Treelogic
Urban Tree Risk Management
Presented by David Evans and Jill Pokorney
1 day course held at Hamilton Tafe Brisbane
2004
IML Australia
Visual Tree Assessment
Presented by Prof Dr. Klaus Mattheck
2 day course held at Grand Chancillor Hotel Brisbane
Authorization to work near Energex Powerlines, EWP Ticket and Blue Card
Prior Trade and Courses
