Tree Needs

The 2019-20 bushfires destroyed nearly 30 per cent of the Greater Glider's habitat, and the tree hollows those animals depend on take generations to form. So we are installing 300 glider nest boxes across Eastern Victoria, in partnership with Greening Australia and Landcare Victoria, as a substitute for the hollows the fires took. That is the kind of job we take on at Tree Needs, and it is a fair description of how we think about a tree generally.

Fifteen years of trial and error in that space teaches you what is actually achievable. A common mistake is carving hollows that are too large, which encourages the dominant apex predators, kookaburras among them. In the right setting they are welcome, but they will dominate the smaller species or wreak havoc on a fish pond. Species specific entry and egress, and the thermal mass of the hollow itself, are what decide whether an install works. We design and build natural terrestrial and tree hollow habitats for native birds, mammals and reptiles, made to sit naturally in the existing treescape, and we consult on which species a site can realistically attract.

Ringo Gannon owns and runs the business and has been at it for more than 15 years. He is an AQF Level 5 Arborist, a member of Arboriculture Australia and an ISA approved arborist, and a seed collector besides. That level matters more than it sounds: when someone is assessing the hazard potential and long term viability of your trees, an AQF Level 5 is who you want, because an untrained tree worker may not have the education to spot a health defect, and an incorrect assessment can prove detrimental. Every employee here holds a minimum of AQF Level 3 Arboriculture, with between 10 and 25 years in the industry each.

Being treecentric means we exhaust every method of retention before we consider taking a tree out. The work runs to tree restorations, formative pruning, canopy reductions, deadwooding and cabling or bracing, all carried out in accordance with AS4373-2007, Pruning of Amenity Trees. Where no safe and logical outcome can be reached, we handle the tree removal with an experienced crew, and we are insured to 20 million dollars with no height restriction on the policy. We work across the Bass Coast, Phillip Island and South Gippsland, taking in Wonthaggi, Cowes, Leongatha, Inverloch, Loch, Lang Lang and Grantville, and we quote special jobs Australia wide, which has taken us to heritage oaks on Tasmanian homesteads and 500 year old brush box in southern Queensland.

When you need it on paper, we prepare arborist reports: arboricultural impact assessments, tree protection plans, arboricultural health assessments, tree management plans and vegetation removal applications, plus tree reports for local councils and building development applications. A written tree health assessment from us sets out useful life expectancy, retention value, pre-existing damage, disease and the retention method we would use, so you know what to expect from the tree over years and not just this season. Ring Ringo on 0468 957 564 or send an email for a free quote, and we will put it in writing.