Homewood Consulting

An Arbotom sonic tomograph reads the condition and strength of the wood inside a trunk without a single cut, and PiCUS tree motion sensors measure how a tree really behaves when the wind gets into it. Both are in our kit at Homewood Consulting, because a recommendation to keep or remove a tree should rest on a measurement. Ben Kenyon started the practice in 2002 after more than fifteen years working as a field arborist, and as a third generation arborist he built it around consultants who had actually done the work in the tree.

We produce arborist reports for planning and development, along with tree management plans and tree protection plans for sites where trees are being retained through a build. From there we can stay on for construction supervision, so the protection measures on the drawing are the ones in place on the ground. Where a defect can only be seen from up in the canopy we carry out climbing inspections, which few practices in Melbourne offer. Root investigation covers damage claims: we locate the roots and identify the tree responsible by cross sectional analysis or DNA laboratory testing.

For bigger holdings we run broad scale tree risk assessments across whole geographies, and our consultants hold QTRA registration and the ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification. We give expert witness advice and evidence at VCAT and in the Magistrates Court, and we run education and training for client staff on tree risk assessment. At the strategy end sit urban forest strategies, tree management policies, tree risk strategies, tree planting plans and canopy assessment and analysis.

Managing trees as assets is where our GIS work comes in. Tree inventories and open space asset inventories are built with current GIS and GPS mapping, and we use the TreePlotter inventory platform to collect, analyse and hand back the data in a form your own team can keep using. Councils and government departments are a good part of who that work is for.

Every report we issue goes through peer review before it leaves, we only put qualified and experienced staff on assessments, and the business holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 accreditation. Our reports meet the guidelines of Council Arboriculture Victoria and Australian Standard AS 4970 (2025) Protection of trees on development sites, so they are accepted by planning authorities.

Our head office is at Thomastown in Melbourne's north, with a second office in Canberra, and we take work in every state and territory in Australia. Get in touch and we will send a fee proposal setting out the cost before anything starts. Call 1300 404 558, or Andrew Salo on 0477 116 225 for ACT and NSW work.