Terms of Service

Australian Arborist Directory ("we", "our", "us") operates the website at auarborist.directory, an independent listing service for arborists, tree surgeons, tree loppers, stump grinders and vegetation management crews across Australia. By accessing or using this website you accept the Terms of Service set out below. If you do not accept them, please stop using the site.

These terms sit alongside our Privacy Policy and Disclaimer. Where you want the plain-English version of how the directory operates day to day, read How This Site Works.

1. What This Directory Is

We publish listings, suburb and state pages, cost guidance and educational articles about tree work in Australia. The purpose is to help you research and shortlist tree businesses in your area, then contact them yourself.

A listing on this site records that a business exists and states that it works in a given area. It is not an endorsement, not a ranking of competence, and not a statement that the business is qualified, insured or suitable for your particular tree. We are not an arborist, we do not provide arboricultural advice, and nothing on this website is a substitute for an on-site inspection by a qualified professional.

2. We Do Not Vet Arborists

This is the clause that matters most, so it is stated plainly. We do not verify the qualifications, insurance, licensing or workmanship of any tree business listed on this site. No directory can do that verification for you on the day of your job, and treating a listing as if it were a safety check is the single most costly mistake a property owner can make.

Because tree work is high-risk work performed on your property, often at height and frequently near structures or power lines, the following checks remain yours alone.

3. Your Responsibilities Before Engaging a Tree Business

By using this website you accept that the checks below are yours to complete, for every job, including small ones. Any engagement you enter into is a contract between you and that business, and we are not a party to it.

1. Request current public liability insurance and check the cover amount and expiry date yourself
2. Ask which arboriculture qualifications the crew holds and match them to the work required, noting that climbing and removal work is typically performed by holders of an AQF Level 3 qualification while tree reports and assessments usually call for AQF Level 5
3. Confirm with your local council whether the tree is protected, sits within a vegetation overlay, or requires a permit before any work begins
4. Obtain the scope of works in writing, including whether stump grinding, green waste removal and site clean-up are included
5. Compare several quotes so you can see what is driving the price rather than accepting the first figure offered
6. Use a crew that routinely performs the work where the tree is storm-damaged, structurally compromised, or anywhere near power lines

4. Permits, Protected Trees and Council Rules

Rules governing tree removal and pruning in Australia are set locally. Protected and significant tree registers, heritage listings, vegetation protection overlays and native vegetation laws vary from council to council and from state to state, and they routinely apply to trees standing on private land.

Where this website describes permit requirements, protected species or council processes, it does so in general terms only and may not reflect the current position in your area. You are solely responsible for obtaining any permit or approval your council requires. We accept no liability for fines, enforcement action, remediation orders or losses arising where tree work is carried out without the necessary approval.

5. Cost Guides and Pricing Information

Our cost guides exist to give you a reference point for judging a quote. They are not quotes, they are not estimates for your job, and they cannot account for the factors that actually set the price of tree work.

• Tree height, species, timber density and structural condition
• Site access, proximity to buildings, fences, pools and power lines
• Whether rigging, a crane, an elevated work platform or traffic control is required
• Green waste volume, tipping fees and local disposal costs
• Whether stump grinding and root removal are included in the scope
• Regional labour rates, fuel costs and seasonal demand after storms

Figures published here may be out of date, may not apply to your region, and should never be presented to a business as the price you expect to pay. Always obtain written quotes from the businesses themselves.

6. Emergency and Storm Work

This directory is not an emergency service. We do not monitor the site for urgent requests, we cannot dispatch a crew, and we cannot guarantee that any listed business is available after storms, when demand across a region spikes at once.

If a tree or limb presents an immediate danger to life or property, or has contacted power lines, contact emergency services, your electricity distributor or your local State Emergency Service first. Use this site to find a tree business only once the situation is safe.

7. Listings and Obligations of Listed Businesses

Some listings are supplied by the business. Others are compiled from information the business has already published publicly, so that people searching its service area can find it. Either way, the business named in a listing is responsible for:

• The accuracy and currency of the details published about it
• Holding every licence, qualification, accreditation and insurance policy its work requires
• Complying with all applicable Australian work health and safety and consumer laws
• Describing its services truthfully, including the scope of what a quoted price covers

We may edit, decline, suspend or remove any listing that we consider inaccurate, misleading, unsafe or otherwise inappropriate, at our discretion and without notice.

Claiming, Correcting or Removing a Listing

If a listing describes your business and you want to claim it, correct it, add services, or have it taken down entirely, contact us. Corrections and removal requests are actioned free of charge and without conditions.

8. Acceptable Use

You may use this website to research tree businesses and read our guidance. You may not:

• Scrape, harvest or bulk-extract listing data, contact details or content
• Use contact details found here for marketing, cold calling, spam or any purpose other than enquiring about tree work
• Reproduce, republish or resell our content for commercial purposes without written permission
• Interfere with, probe or attempt to disrupt the operation or security of the website
• Submit false, misleading or fraudulent business information

All content on this website, including text, guides, layout, design, graphics and branding, remains the property of Australian Arborist Directory unless otherwise stated.

9. Accuracy, Availability and Third Parties

We work to keep the site accurate and available, but we do not warrant that it will be uninterrupted, error free, or free from harmful components, and we may modify, suspend or discontinue any part of it at any time. Listings and guidance may contain errors or become outdated between reviews.

The site contains links to third-party websites, and displays advertising served by Google AdSense and other advertising networks. Advertisements may be personalised based on your browsing activity, and you can read how to opt out in our Privacy Policy. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, privacy practices or conduct of any third-party website, advertiser or listed business, and any dealings with them are at your own risk.

10. Limitation of Liability

Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any guarantee, right or remedy you have under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot lawfully be excluded. Subject to that, and to the fullest extent permitted by law, Australian Arborist Directory is not liable for:

11. Changes to These Terms

We may revise these Terms of Service as the directory develops or as the law requires. Revisions are published on this page with an updated revision date, and continued use of the website after that date constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

12. Governing Law

These Terms of Service are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia. Any dispute arising from your use of this website is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Queensland.

13. Contact

For questions about these terms, to claim or correct a listing, or to report an error in a guide, reach us through our Contact page.