How to Select a Certified Arborist in Melbourne

Before exploring arborist reports Melbourne or arborist reports itself, let us acquaint ourselves with arborists and their field of work. Arborists are defined as individuals trained in a wide array of activities impacting the health and well being of trees, plants and gardens and equipped to provide the necessary care for your garden.  Knowledgeable tree care is always an investment that can fetch substantial returns. When your plants and trees are cared for by professionals it makes your garden attractive and adds significant value to the property. On the other hand, if the trees and plants are poorly maintained, it can soon become a liability. Further, removing trees or pruning, particularly the larger ones can bring along associated risks.

Certified Arborists

Certified arborists bring significant academic knowledge and extensive experience in caring for trees and keeping your garden healthy. They can advise you on a wide range of activities concerning your backyard/garden, including tree/stump removal, hedge/tree pruning, replanting or transplanting trees, installing possum guards, pest control, assessing hazardous trees, and other concerns you may have with your garden or yard. Assessing hazardous tree is an area of particular focus for certified arborists, particularly because the task is very intricate and calls for a high level of professional expertise. Experience shows that what was a healthy tree once, starts declining and becoming weak with age, leading to potential dangers for property and life. A certified arborist can assess not just the impacted tree, but also the healthy trees and determine ways to ensure that your garden stays healthy and thriving.  A certified arborist can thus be reckoned as a ‘tree surgeon’ who can resolve many problems associated with tree care. After inspecting your property and the trees in it, arborists’ reports are provided to guide you through measures necessary for proper upkeep.

When you need arborists reports

Arborists reports constitute legal documents that can be held up in courts as and when needed. There are also different types of arborists reports aligned to the timeline and specific sites of projects. Tree risk assessments, culturally or heritage sensitive sites, collection of tree data are among typical site definitions for arborists reports Melbourne. Certified arborists can provide a wide range of reports to address specific needs in varying situations. Government or local councils stipulate the type of arborists reports needed for specific projects. In the absence of such a report, the project team may damage or remove trees unknowingly perhaps including impacting habitats.  If this happens, you could incur stiff fines or restrictions leading to wider implications and issues with regard to your site.

Let us now turn to the qualities to look for while choosing a certified arborist.

Responsible practices

There are practices that are widely accepted by the industry, and a certified arborist will perform only those activities that qualify as accepted practices. Practices like tree topping, use of climbing spikes for trees that are not designated to be removed and pruning or removing trees without adequate reason are designated as unacceptable practices.

Picking an arborist through advertisements

It is never difficult to find an arborist with the help of yellow pages, phone directory or internet. But, you should always look for an official logo denoting professional membership to confirm that they are certified.

Certification

Once you have identified one or more arborists do not hesitate to ask if they are certified and if yes, check the certification that they have. Certification is always helpful in ensuring professional capabilities.

Professional affiliations

When you speak to the arborist, check about membership with professional associations like the ISAAC, or affiliation with other industry organizations. This will also demonstrate that the arborist is willing to keep himself updated on the latest information and techniques.

References

References are very important since that is one way you can rely on your chosen arborists for the services that you expect out of him/her. Don’t just obtain the references, but also take time to check out personally over phone or another communication medium. Visiting some of the sites where the arborist has worked in the past is also another helpful measure.

Quotes

Get multiple quotes and compare them carefully. Make sure that your comparison is equal or item by item. If you have more than one type of job that calls for the arborists’ involvement, get an itemised quote so that the comparison is easier.

Insurance

Check insurance details of the arborist and cross-check with your insurance carrier on how you are covered. Employer’s liability insurance and public liability insurance to take care of the property and personal damage including worker injury should be provided by the Arborist. If workers employed by the arborists are not insured, you may attract the liability for any potential injuries to personnel and damages caused to your neighbour’s property when the job is executed.

Some of the services an arborist can provide:

Planting the right trees

It is important to plant the right trees so that you can enjoy the trees for many decades. The choice of trees should be adapted to the soil conditions, light and space the site provides and the overall climate. The tree trunk can get stronger from swaying during windy days. A two-stake system may be used for trees that are too young to support themselves.  Once the tree is old enough the stake can be removed.

Keeping grass away from the trunk

Grass growing against the tree trunk competing with the tree can cause problems. These problems can include obstruction to the proper supply of nutrients, water, and free-flowing air. Younger trees particularly will grow poorly when the grass is allowed to proliferate against the tree trunk. Therefore, for best results, the area around the tree trunk should be mulched and kept free from grass.

Proper watering

Proper watering is another important aspect of proper garden maintenance. An arborist can advise you on different methods of watering, the frequency of watering and checking the most appropriate level of water in the areas surrounding the tree.

Fertilizer

The choice of fertilizer and the timing to apply them can vary from one terrain to the other. Similarly, the frequency and quantity of fertilizer applied to older trees can vary significantly from younger trees.  An arborist can study the soil condition and give the right advice on fertilizing your trees.

Pruning

The right kind of pruning is another crucial measure for healthy trees. Different types of trees need a varying approach to pruning and most homeowners may not have the required knowledge. An arborist on the other has in-depth knowledge on a sea of trees and plants and can, therefore, give you informed guidance.

Conclusion

Informed guidance and services that an arborist can provide is always the best way to ensure that you can enjoy your trees, plants, flowers and fruits across seasons.

Cristy Venus

I worked in sales for 20 years, learning the positive aspects of people and how to learn from their experiences. I like writing articles, exploring tech, eating and travelling.

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