Thrive Arbor

Thrive Arbor was established in 2016 by Chris Gill and works across the Coffs Coast and the Clarence Valley. The team pairs AQF Level 5 arborists with environmental science professionals, and its practitioners are registered QTRA users, which is the quantified tree risk assessment system councils and insurers tend to recognise. The company puts its position plainly: well managed trees are assets to a property, the environment and the community, and its calls are made on industry best practice and formal training rather than a look and a guess.

A large part of the work is written rather than cut. Arborist reports, tree risk assessment and development assessment advice cover the situations where a tree has to be argued about before anything happens to it: a development application, a council consent, a neighbour or an insurer wanting an independent opinion. Having the environmental science side in house means the ecological questions get answered in the same report rather than being farmed out.

The practical work runs alongside it. Tree pruning and maintenance keeps established trees in shape, and tree removal handles the ones that cannot be retained. The consulting background shows here too, since the firm is set up to make a case for keeping a tree where the numbers support it, not simply to quote for taking it down.

Emergency tree services cover the aftermath of storms, which on the North Coast is a regular event rather than an occasional one. The company offers rapid response to make a site safe, taking on fallen tree removal, hanging limb removal, tree stabilisation and storm debris cleanup, and it prepares the insurance documentation that goes with a claim. That last part matters more than people expect once the immediate danger is dealt with.

The environmental side is a genuine specialty. Habitat hollow creation, nest box installation, fauna surveys and invasive weed management are all offered, aimed at retaining ecological value where a site allows it. Clients range from homeowners and businesses to developers, local councils and government organisations, and the site lists Transport for NSW, NSW Local Land Services, Clarence Valley Council, the Nature Conservation Council and SCIS Property Group among its partners. The service area takes in Coffs Harbour, Grafton, the wider Clarence Valley and the surrounding districts.