Woodland Tree Reports

More than ten years inside local government sits behind every report that leaves this desk. Jason Eales owns and runs Woodland Tree Reports from Geelong, holds a Diploma in Arboriculture at AQF Level 5, and carries $20,000,000 in public liability and professional indemnity cover. Knowing how a council reads a tree report, and what it will send back, is the difference between an approval and another six weeks of correspondence.

A health assessment report tells you what condition a tree is actually in and what maintenance it needs to keep it going, and a risk assessment report takes the next step, identifying the hazards attached to a tree before they turn into an incident and setting out what to do about them.

Where a development is involved, an impact assessment report works through what the proposal will do to the trees on and near the site, so the planning response is a considered one rather than a guess. A root investigation report deals with what is happening below ground, whether that is roots into footings, pipes or paving, and a survey report maps where every tree sits so a designer can plan around them from the start.

For land you are managing rather than building on, a management report sets the strategy for an urban or rural tree population, and a planting report covers species selection and placement so the next generation of trees is in the right spot. Nursery stock assessment reports check that landscape trees measure up to the AS 2303:2018 standard, in condition and in numbers, before they are accepted on site.

The work goes out to private owners of residential, rural and agricultural land, and to the commercial side: private schools, planning consultants, architects, landscape designers and construction companies. Government clients include local councils, educational institutions and state agencies, and we also report for management committees, body corporate entities, conservation groups, homeowner associations and agricultural cooperatives. The service area is Victoria wide, with Geelong as the base.

The process is four steps: an enquiry by phone or through the site, a proposal setting out the scope, a site assessment on the ground, then the report with findings and recommendations you can act on. Reports are handled against your deadline, whether that is a planning timeframe or a council request with a date on it. Ring during the week, from 7am to 5pm, and tell us what has been asked for.