If you are considering buying a property with large or significant trees, you should consider a Pre-purchase Tree Inspection. This will inform you of any tree issues that you may face in the near future, such as the need to remove structurally unstable trees or that may be causing damage to neighbouring properties. This information can influence the value of the property.
Suppose the site is being purchased for a proposed development. In that case, the inspection will identify whether there are any endemic or endangered species that may impact the proposed development or that are likely to result in additional costs associated with flora and fauna studies.
A Preliminary Tree Assessment (PTA) should be performed when plans haven’t been started or finalised. A PTA contains an assessment of the trees on-site as well as any neighbouring trees that the proposed development may impact. This report is prepared in accordance with AS 4970-2009 ‘Protection of trees on development sites.’
The information in a PTA enables you and your design team to make the best possible decisions in terms of tree retention and protection.
When plans have been finalised, including changes recommended in the PTA report completed, your arborist will proceed with the Arboricultural Impact Assessment Report (AIAR). This report needs to be submitted to the consent authority as part of the development application (DA).
The AIAR contains all the relevant information from the Preliminary Tree Assessment as well as discusses the impact of the proposed development on the trees. This document includes recommendations on how the trees should be protected during the proposed development in a document titled the Tree Protection Plan (Specifications) and shows the tree protection measures’ location in the Tree Protection Plan (Drawing).
AS 4970-2009 ‘Protection of trees on development sites’ states that you do not need an AIAR if the proposed work is more than 12 times the trunk diameter from any tree. Where the work is proposed to be closer than this 12 times benchmark, your consulting arborist will be able to advise you on how close the proposed work can come to the tree as well as what measures and arboricultural impact will be required to offset this impact.
If your development requires tree protection throughout demolition and construction, our team can assist you with:
Any audit inspections for compliance will be done on an adhoc basis with no notice provided, to ensure the inspection is a true reflection of works being undertaken. The arborist will hold AQF Level 5 qualifications, or higher, in arboriculture. They will be a member of Arboriculture Australia and are bound by the Association Code of Ethics. In addition, your consultant will be actively participating in ongoing professional development.
