Through collecting quantitative and qualitative information on the site’s existing trees, a preliminary assessment will contain important information for everyone involved in the development of the site.
Crucially, suitability for retention must be assessed for every tree on site. Not all trees will be suitable for retention, and some may need to be removed before construction begins.
Conversely, some trees may be an asset to your development and could be incorporated into your designs to provide amenity and value to the future occupants. Certain trees may also be protected by state or even national legislation. Knowing this before you start designing the layout of your site is extremely important.
To demonstrate this point, imagine you skip a preliminary assessment only to find out you have damaged a protected tree on your site. Such a scenario may result in a Stop Work Notice, costing you valuable time and money as a result. On top of this, some councils have the authority to issue fines for damage to protected trees, which can be substantial, depending on the value of your tree.
Put simply, a preliminary assessment ensures the smooth approval of your development permit.
Read on to find out how we can help speed up the development process and save you money.
If you are thinking about a developing a site that has any trees, engaging a qualified consulting arborist should be one of your very first steps. It’s vitally important to contact us before you engage an architect or designer, as the preliminary arboriculture assessment contains important information that will affect the layout of your site. Additionally, the report can be used to justify tree removal, understand biodiversity offsets, and can help you to understand the limitations of the site.
Before we begin, we require an accurate location log of all trees on site. We can conduct the survey ourselves, or this can be completed by a surveyor.
Our preliminary reports are comprehensive, and contain both qualitative and quantitative considerations. To begin with, we provide an assessment of suitability for retention which has two components:
Basic morphometric data such as Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and Diameter Above Buttress (DAB) are collected, which are used to generate Tree Protection Zones (TPZs) and Structural Root Zones (SRZs) for each tree. These measurements are essentially a setback distance from each tree and the starting point for your designers to plan the layout of the site.
With all this in place, this information can be used again during future reports provided by the consulting arborist.
The two most important things to assess in the preliminary arboriculture assessment is the significance and sustainability of each tree as it relates to the landscape.
Put simply, we ask two questions:
To answer these questions, we employ the Significance of a Tree Rating System (STARS) and Sustainability Retention Index Value (SRIV), which have been produced by the Institute of Australian Consulting Agriculturalists (IACA). Additionally, these methodologies also contain a consideration of the trees’ life expectancy.
The final result of this process is an arborist report. In this report, all high value and healthy trees are identified in a site plan, which can then be incorporated into your designs for the site. In essence, it describes what can and can’t be cleared for development. After all, why would you try and retain a tree that is falling apart and most likely be removed in the futrue. Instead, retain the ones that have a long life expectancy and will provide real value to you and the future occupants of the site.
Developers, architects and designers all greatly benefit from a preliminary arboriculture report, as it assists in:
Additionally, the arborist report is also a valuable tool in preventing the unintended loss of valuable community assets. That is, our reports help:
The principal behind the saying “measure twice, cut once” applies to more than just cutting wood.
If you don’t have a preliminary assessment done by a certified arborist, you are likely to run into trouble with your development application. If your designers do not have the correct information beforehand, they may produce a design which will have unacceptable impacts to some trees from the councils perspective. The council will likely ask you to consult an arborist, and we will be forced to tell you the bad news: re-design.
What’s more, if you start work without an understanding of Tree Protection Zones you may end up unintentionally damaging trees. Damaging trees to a point where they are either unviable or structurally compromised will result in the removal of the trees. If a tree is protected by legislation, you may be responsible for reparations in the tens of thousands of dollars, and incur a poor reputation with the council and community.
Avoid this costly process and provide your designers with the correct information. This will also make the next step go much smother, an arboriculture impact assessment, which details the impact the designs will have on the trees.
Our reports are created in line with The Australian Standard Protection of Trees on Development Sites (AS 4970). Section 2.3.3 outlines all of the information required for a preliminary assessment.
The minimum requirement for preparing arboricultural reports is a Certificate 5 or Diploma in Arboriculture (Australian Qualification Framework Level 5), as this is the minimum qualification accepted by local councils. Making sure your arborist has at least has this qualification is important, otherwise the report may be refused by council.
Our consulting arborists have much higher qualifications (click here to see our Team page). Tasmanian Arboriculture consultants are more than experienced and fully prepared to meet your needs.
A preliminary arboricultural assessment is a must when considering development on your property. It can significantly speed up the design and development application process by providing the right information to all those involved.
It’s our role to provide best practice, evidence based arboriculture reports for your development application. Our professional tree care and management advice will help you make important decisions regarding the health, safety, and maintenance of your arboricultural assets.
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From expert tree care and land management to specialised consultant, our team offers a wide range of services to meet all your arboricultural needs. We deliver reliable, sustainable, and tailored solutions for your property.
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The leading arboriculture consulting, tree care and land management group in Tasmania.
