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Service
Project arborist & site supervision
Named on the permit, on site at the hold points, and signing off the stages. AS 4970:2025 expects an arborist across the life of a project, not a report at the start and silence afterwards.
Fixed quote within one business day · agreed in writing before any work starts
What a project arborist actually does
- Attends before works start to confirm protection is installed as specified
- Supervises excavation within protection zones, including hand and hydro excavation where roots are encountered
- Makes the call on encountered roots: prune, redesign or stop, with the decision recorded
- Attends the hold points in the protection plan and signs each one off
- Issues stage reports where the permit conditions require them
- Provides the completion documentation that closes out the tree conditions on the permit
The condition nobody budgets for
Tree conditions on a planning permit routinely require arborist attendance at specified stages and a final sign-off before occupancy. Read those conditions at the start and price them in. Finding them at the certificate stage is where projects lose weeks.
How it is charged
Fixed quote before work starts. If your site genuinely needs less than that, I will try to pair it with another job nearby so the minimum works in your favour rather than against it.
Ongoing projects are better handled on a retainer against an agreed number of attendances. Ask and I will price it that way.
Independence
I do not carry out physical tree works. No pruning, no removals, no climbing crews. That matters here: when I tell a council that the protection was installed correctly and the excavation was supervised, there is no commercial interest sitting behind that statement.
Common questions
What does a project arborist cost in Melbourne?
Attendance is quoted against your programme. Ongoing projects are better arranged as a retainer covering an agreed number of attendances, which usually works out better than booking each one separately.
Do I need a project arborist named before the permit issues?
Often yes. Many Melbourne councils condition tree protection on a named project arborist being engaged, and some require the name at endorsement stage. Check the draft conditions early.
Do you do the tree pruning as well?
No. This is a consulting practice only. I do not prune, remove or climb, which keeps the supervision independent of the works being supervised. I am happy to recommend contractors.
What happens if roots are found during excavation?
That is the moment a project arborist earns the fee. The options are to prune cleanly to a specification, to adjust the works, or to stop and reassess. Whichever it is, the decision and its reasoning get recorded so the permit close-out is defensible.
Other services
Tree Removal Report
ResidentialArboricultural Impact Assessment
DevelopmentClause 52.37 Canopy Tree Report
Residential · PlanningPreliminary Tree Assessment
Before you designTree Protection Management Plan
DevelopmentRoot & Infrastructure Investigation
InvestigationConstruction Monitoring
On siteTree Risk Assessment
TRAQ qualifiedTree Protection Zone Advice
Written adviceSend me the plans and I will send you a number.
Fixed fee, quoted in writing within one business day, scope written down. If it turns out you do not need this report, I will tell you that instead.