The Tree Doctor

Adam Tom grew up on a farm, took an early interest in how trees actually work, and started The Tree Doctor in 1992. Thirty years later he is still our principal consultant, and his ground is tree anatomy and physiology, identification, disease and pest management, and the preservation of heritage trees. The name is not a marketing flourish. Our approach begins with a diagnosis of what is happening inside a tree, and the treatment follows from that, which is a different conversation to the one that starts with a price for taking it out.

This is a family business and it has been for a long while. Adam's son Jackson is a Certificate III qualified climbing arborist who has been with us more than four years and is working towards his Certificate V, Cheryl has managed the business for over twenty years, and Larissa has run the office since 2009. Behind that sits membership of the International Society of Arboriculture in the United States, the Queensland Arboricultural Association, and Arboriculture Australia, where Adam holds life membership.

Careful tree pruning and ongoing property tree maintenance keep trees on homes, schools and commercial sites healthy and structurally sound over the long term, and tree removal is carried out where a tree is genuinely beyond saving rather than merely inconvenient. Palms have their own requirements, so palm tree care keeps them clean and safe, while plant health care diagnoses and treats the trees that are struggling before the problem becomes terminal.

As consulting arborists we prepare detailed tree surveys and risk assessments that identify hazards and give property owners, councils and developers something defensible to act on. Where a tree can be kept through a build, tree retention and protection is the work that keeps it standing, and it is far cheaper to protect a mature tree during construction than to replace one afterwards. Established trees that are in the wrong place can sometimes be moved rather than lost, which is what our tree transplanting service is for.

We also carry out scar tree care, protecting and preserving culturally significant trees, work that calls for patience and a proper understanding of what is being conserved. Whether you have one tree you are worried about or a whole site to manage, we would rather look at it than guess. Give us a call on the number listed here and we will arrange for one of our arborists to come out. We work across Everton Hills, the greater Brisbane area and the wider South East Queensland region.