Whispering Tree Arboricultural Consulting

Back in 1990 I started out as a horticultural apprentice with the ACT Government, learning tree surgery from the ground up. Thirty-four years later that grounding is what sits behind Whispering Tree Arboricultural Consulting. I'm Brett Jeffery, an AQF Level 5 arborist in both arboriculture and horticulture, and my career has run through the ACT Government, Brisbane City Council, Hervey Bay Council and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council before I set up my own consultancy on the Mid North Coast in late 2023. In 2024 I added the International Society of Arboriculture's Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) to that background.

This is consulting arboriculture, which means I write the reports and do the assessment work behind them rather than climbing or cutting. People usually come to me when a decision about a tree needs backing in writing, and my job is to come out, look at the tree properly, and set down a clear, independent and objective account you can act on.

That covers a lot of ground. I prepare arborist reports and tree risk assessments for trees where health, structure or safety is the worry, tree health and condition reports that pin down stress, disease or damage, and damaged tree assessments after storms, accidents or deliberate harm. On larger properties I put together tree survey management reports mapping what is there and how to manage it, and where roots are the question I carry out root mapping to locate them before they collide with a footing or a pipe. I also handle tree valuations and act as an independent voice in neighbouring tree disputes.

For anyone building, I prepare the documents a Development Application turns on: arboricultural impact assessments, pre-project assessments and tree protection and construction plans, with post-development certification to confirm the plan was actually followed. On the build itself I take on project arborist work, and where pruning is needed I set out plans written to the AS 4373 standard. If you're planting rather than removing, I can also put together a treescape plan to get the right species in the right place.

I work right across the Mid North Coast, covering Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Taree, Forster and up to Coffs Harbour. If your trees are somewhere in that stretch and you need them looked at properly, email me at [email protected], tell me what you're dealing with, and I'll let you know how I can help.