The majority of the tree reports we do at Melbourne Arboricultural Services (MAS) are further along the design process where plans for the new development have already been finalised and the client has had a request from Melbourne council for a Tree Report to assess the impact on trees onsite. The trees are assessed for health, species type, useful lifetime, significance and retention values. We can then determine which trees can be removed to accommodate the development and which trees should be retained and protected according to AS-4970-2009 (Protection of Trees on Development Sites) if possible. With the tree report as a guide a full Tree Protection Plan is provided with every report. Part of the tree report will include some design suggestions or construction techniques that can be used to ensure the development can still proceed whilst ensuring a high value tree can still be retained and integrated within the site. It is the benefit of an experienced arborist that can minimise any of these conflicts that may occur between the wishes of the property developer and council regulations. In most cases our clients are on a strict deadline to get the DA submitted since the tree report is often overlooked in the process so we are used to working and delivering tree reports within limited time-frames. Our clients for tree reports and consulting include councils, schools, commercial developments and residential homeowners.
** All tree reports for new developments that will be submitted as part of a DA will require architectural plans and surveys of the site prior to engaging MAS to inspect the site and complete the arboricultural impact report.
