Hunter River Trees

Hunter River Trees is a family owned and operated business based at Lochinvar, New South Wales, providing a superior level of arborist services to residents across the middle to lower Hunter region, including Maitland, Newcastle and surrounding areas. The promise is a hassle-free experience delivered by fully licensed and insured arborists, and the business sums itself up in three words: local, professional and trusted. Whatever the tree, stump or block, and wherever it sits in the Hunter Valley area, the team will travel to get the job done.

Every member of the team, from tradespeople through to apprentices, is trained at the Kurri Kurri TAFE campus, and that mix of extensive formal and on-the-job training underpins the work. They are qualified Certificate 5 arborists, which means their tree surgeons can provide full tree risk assessments. Team leader Steve Watson, senior consulting arborist, brings more than 25 years of arboriculture experience in the Hunter region, and is a fully registered consulting arborist with a Certificate 5 in Arboriculture, an ISA Tree Risk Assessment qualification and approval from Arboriculture Australia. The business is a member of Arboriculture Australia and the International Society of Arboriculture, and is covered by full workers compensation and public liability insurance up to $20 million, with proof of documentation available before any job. Work follows Australian Standard 4373-2007 for the pruning of amenity trees, and the WHS system includes the full Work Cover Subby Pack with Safe Work Method Statements, toolbox talks and plant and equipment checklists.

Tree removal and felling takes account of nearby structures and gardens, tight locations, the safety of people close by and, as the team puts it, being courteous of your neighbours. Trees come out when they are dead, badly diseased, unstable after subsidence, grown too big to safely remain where they are, or standing in the way of a planned development. Hunter River Trees are quick to point out that removal is not always the answer: pruning, lopping, crowning or coppicing can control disease and give a tree the chance to thrive, and encroaching roots can often be dug up without losing the tree entirely. Stump removal and grinding draws on more than 50 years of combined experience, clearing stumps with minimal damage to the surrounding lawn or gardens and heading off the termites, pests and trip hazards that a leftover stump invites. Tree pruning is available all year round for trees of any size on any type of property, though the team recommends booking in before storm season.

Level 5 arborist services cover tree reports, tree surveys, annual safety reports, development applications and tree risk assessments. Since Planning NSW took over tree removal applications in January 2021, the lodgement has to be made by the property owner through the Development Application Portal, but Hunter River Trees will help you assemble the information you need and work with your council. The consulting side trades as Arborcert, a registered practising and consulting arborist company operating since 2015 from the heart of the Hunter Valley, serving industries, companies, government departments, councils and residents from Taree in the north east down to Gosford in the south east, and out to Murrurundi and Putty. It provides AS4970 reports, tree risk assessments, tree reports, tree surveys, annual tree reports and expert witness statements.

Tree health advice and services round out the field work, with diagnosis, treatment plans, fertilising, insect and disease treatment, and tree planting and transplanting. Bushfire hazard reduction covers pruning overgrown trees and vegetation, clearing trees within 10 metres of the home and shrubs within 50 metres, plus advice on leaf litter, woodpiles and flammable liquids. The team is fully accredited and qualified to clear and maintain powerline easements in line with current legislation. Emergency clean-ups deal with storm and accident damaged trees quickly, before a hazardous tree causes further destruction. Service areas take in Maitland, Newcastle, Thornton, Beresfield, Raymond Terrace, Medowie, Singleton, Cessnock, Pokolbin, Branxton, Greta, Paterson, Wollombi, Dungog and the wider Hunter region. Call 02 4933 2555 for an obligation-free assessment and a complimentary quote.