Douglas Arbor

Douglas Arbor is a consulting arboriculture practice run by principal arborist Mark Douglas from the Central West of New South Wales. This is not a removal outfit. There is no crew, no chipper and no quote for taking a gum down. What Mark sells is the assessment, the report and the advice that sits in front of those decisions. The mission statement, such as it is, comes down to a stated passion for trees: their health, their management and how they look.

The credentials are the point of a consultancy. Mark holds a Diploma of Arboriculture at AQF Level 5, works to both the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification and Qualified Tree Risk Assessment methods, and is a member of Arboriculture Australia. He spent the past decade in local government and private practice, principally around Sydney and Canberra, which means he has sat on both sides of a council tree application.

Arborist reports are the core service. Douglas Arbor provides consultation, reporting and certification through the planning and development of a project, covering removal applications, pre-development assessments, tree impact and risk assessments and tree management plans. If a council or a certifier has asked for a report before you can build, subdivide or take a tree out, that is the document being talked about.

A tree assessment consultation is the simpler version. Mark comes to the property, looks over the trees, and gives advice on health, pests, diseases, potential hazards and how to manage them going forward. He also does tree climbing and aerial assessments, which is the difference between diagnosing a tree from the ground and getting up into the canopy to see what is actually happening at the union of a limb.

The rest of the list is more unusual for an arborist. Habitat and nest box installation covers supplying and fitting nest boxes, or creating habitat hollows within trees where that suits, to give local wildlife somewhere to live. Tree planting and care runs to species selection, planting specifications and the planting itself. Elm leaf beetle control is there for anyone with an elm being chewed through. The practice works across the Central West, including Orange, and takes work in Sydney and Canberra. Ring 0421 480 750 or email [email protected].