New Leaf Arboriculture

Independence is the point of a consulting arborist. New Leaf Arboriculture has no affiliation with any tree contracting company, so the advice you get from us carries no interest in whether a tree stays or comes down. Jacki Brown is our Principal Arboricultural Consultant, working out of Parramatta in Sydney with ten years of arboricultural consulting behind her, an AQF Level 5 Diploma in Arboriculture, a second diploma in landscape from Ryde TAFE, and experience on both sides of the counter in local council and the private sector.

A tree assessment consultation is where most situations start. We inspect the tree or trees, listen to what is actually worrying you, explain whichever regulations apply to your address, and give you preliminary advice you can act on. An AQF Level 5 arborist can offer you more than remove or prune, because the answer usually sits in the tree's health, its root architecture, the soil, the microclimate, the structures around it and its legal status, all at the same time. Sometimes one consultation gives you everything you need. Sometimes it maps out what comes next, whether that is a report, a risk assessment, an application to council, root mapping or internal decay diagnostics.

The written work comes with clear information, CAD prepared plans and details, and methods that consistently satisfy councils and consent authorities. Our arboricultural reports include the Arboricultural Impact Assessment prepared to AS 4970 Protection of Trees on Development Sites for a development application, tree risk assessments using an accepted method such as TRAQ with a risk rating and mitigation measures for every tree, tree management reports that set work priorities across a whole population of trees on a campus or commercial property, construction tree management plans covering protection fencing, tree sensitive work methods and Project Arborist hold points, and certification of tree protection for the construction certificate stage in New South Wales.

Tree disputes are their own category of work. Where neighbours are at odds over a tree or a hedge, where a tree has been removed and its value is in question, or where a tree has damaged property, we provide consultation, detailed reports and illustrations, including for matters heading towards legal action. Designing around existing trees is another specialty, and it is where the landscape design background earns its keep, since a tree kept healthy through a build costs far less than a tree replaced after one.

We are an accredited member of the Institute of Australian Consulting Arboriculturists and voluntarily follow its Code of Ethics, hold membership of the International Society of Arboriculture, and carry public liability, indemnity and workers compensation insurance, with a White Card and Rail Industry Worker qualification for site access. Our clients have ranged from homeowners to government bodies, councils, planners and development teams across Sydney. Send through the property address, a description of the situation and any plans or reports you already hold, and we will come back with a free, no obligation fee proposal. Ring 1300 157 210 or email [email protected] to get started.