Arbor Solutions

Arbor Solutions has been going since the mid-1990s, working across greater Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. It is locally owned, and enquiries are split between two people: Michael Masala takes the south, south east and east, and Harry Armstrong looks after the peninsula. The work runs wider than a domestic tree crew, covering consulting, project delivery, ongoing maintenance and the sale of repurposed material such as mulch and logwood.

On the cutting side there is tree removal, handled from the first assessment through to the clean-up, with advice on whether a permit is needed and the stump grinding and mulching rolled into the one job. Tree pruning and cable bracing deal with the trees that are staying. The bracing is properly specified rather than bolted on: they evaluate the structure first, work out where the cables go against branch structure and load distribution, then tension them so the tree can still move naturally. Jobs listed include a dynamic brace at Red Hill and static and dynamic installations at Croydon.

The consulting arm is where this business separates itself from most tree crews. Arborist reports cover tree reports, impact assessments, pre-development reports and risk assessment reports. Hazard and risk assessment sets out the tree specifics, the type of hazard present and the degree of risk it carries. Tree protection plans are written for building sites, assessing what a build will do to the trees on it and setting construction guidelines to follow for the duration of the works.

Tree planting comes with advice on what will actually suit a given spot, planted with equipment that keeps the root zone intact. Possum guards and pest control is an unusual line to see on an arborist list: tree wraps, physical barriers and deterrents to stop possums stripping a tree, done without harming the possums, along with pest identification and follow-up monitoring. Fire prevention works covers pruning, removal, mulching and vegetation grooming to cut bushfire risk on a property. Site preparation handles vegetation clearing, grading, drainage and erosion control before a build or a garden goes in.

Mulch delivery runs throughout Melbourne and the peninsula, using material the business generates itself. Safety is backed by a written safety statement, regular crew training, maintained machinery, a risk assessment checklist and rescue procedures, plus insurance cover of up to $20 million. The service list takes in Boroondara, Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Whitehorse and Yarra Ranges in the east, Bayside and the south eastern suburbs, and the Mornington Peninsula, including Kew, Camberwell, Doncaster, Ringwood, Box Hill, Rowville, Healesville and Belgrave. Enquiries go to 0411 184 199 or 0419 155 240.