Burnett Trees

Burnett Trees has been working the Illawarra and South Coast since Andrew Burnett started it at Jamberoo in 2000. It runs out of Kiama these days under director Josh Levoi, who the site says "began as an apprentice and worked his way to the top of the tree". Twenty five years on it is still a local outfit, taking work from homeowners, body corporates and farm owners across the district.

Tree removal is split three ways on the site, which tells you something about the spread of jobs they take on. General removals cover the usual backyard and paddock work. Palm tree removal gets its own listing, being a different proposition again. And crane tree removal is there for the trees too big, too dead or too tightly hemmed in to be dismantled and lowered on ropes. Stump grinding tidies up afterwards, and land clearing handles block clearance where a whole site needs opening up.

What sets the business apart is how much of the work is aimed at keeping a tree rather than taking it out. Tree health assessment looks at whether a struggling tree can be brought back, and tree cabling and bracing puts hardware into a tree with a weak union or an over-extended limb so it can stay standing safely instead of being written off. Tree pruning covers the routine maintenance side. It is a more considered approach than a straight cut-it-down service, and it suits Kiama and the farmland around it, where an established tree is worth keeping if it can be kept.

Emergency work is a standing offer, with the site advertising a 24/7 emergency service and 24/7 storm damage response, which on this stretch of coast is what most urgent calls come down to. Normal hours are Monday to Friday, 7am to 4.30pm, with Sharon looking after bookings and Ben and Joe fielding enquiries. The timber that comes off jobs does not go to waste either: firewood and mulch are sold on.

The service area starts at Kiama and Jamberoo, then runs north through Shellharbour, Oak Flats, Albion Park, Dapto and Wollongong, and on up the coast to Mount Pleasant, Thirroul, Woonona, Stanwell Park and Coalcliff. Heading south it takes in Gerringong, Berry, Shoalhaven Heads and Nowra, and inland to Kangaroo Valley.