Service
Tree Doctor Brisbane: Tree Health Assessment & Disease Treatment
We’re tree doctors who diagnose and treat sick and dying trees in Brisbane and across South East Queensland. Our tree health inspection covers everything from the canopy down to the soil, so we find the actual cause before we treat it, whether it’s disease, pests or site conditions.
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What Is a Tree Health Assessment?
A tree health assessment is the diagnostic work that finds out why a tree is declining. It works from the canopy down to the soil to separate the symptom from the cause, whether that is a pathogen, a pest, stress or the conditions on the site, and ends in a treatment plan aimed at that cause, with a realistic prognosis. Most declining trees turn out to have a soil problem, which is why the diagnosis comes before anything is spent on treatment.
How a Tree Health Inspection Works
A tree health inspection happens in up to three steps. Many trees are sorted by the end of the site visit; where they aren’t, we come back to carry out the treatment.
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Step 1
Phone consultation
We start with a phone call to get the site history and an understanding of the problem: what the tree is doing, when it started, and anything that has changed around it, such as building work, new paving, landscaping or irrigation. That way we arrive at the site visit prepared, knowing what to look for.
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Step 2
Site visit
We inspect the tree from the canopy down to the soil, covering a soil assessment and pest and disease identification. Often we can give you our recommendations on the day, and where the fix is straightforward, carry out the treatment then too. If soil samples need laboratory testing, we take them during this visit, so the results confirm the cause before treatment starts.
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Step 3
Treatment
If the problem can’t be solved on the first visit, we come back to carry out the treatment. Depending on the cause, that can be a foliar spray, trunk injection, soil application or changes to the site, such as fixing drainage. Complex cases can take more than one visit, and we’ll tell you what improvement to expect and when.
Don’t let a $20K tree die
when a $220 consultation could have saved it
Signs Your Tree Is Sick or Dying
When a tree is visibly going backwards and nobody has established why. The symptoms below are the ones that bring people here, and none of them is a diagnosis on its own — several quite different causes produce the same thinning canopy.
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Thinning canopy or dieback
Branches dying back from the tips, or leaves that are off-colour, undersized or dropping early.
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Fungus on the trunk or base
Mushrooms or fungal brackets on or around the tree.
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Decline after building work, or no recovery
The tree went backwards after building work, paving or landfill, has been treated without improvement, or trees keep failing in the same spot.
What a tree health assessment covers
A tree health assessment works from the canopy down to the soil to find the cause of the decline, not just describe the symptoms. Here’s what it covers:
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Canopy, trunk and root collar inspection
We inspect the whole tree, from the top of the canopy to the root collar, looking at where the dieback starts, leaf size and colour, recent growth, the bark, wounds, cavities and any signs of pests or disease. The pattern of symptoms is what points to the cause, so we record and photograph it as we go.
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Root collar excavation
Where the base of the tree has been buried by fill or mulch, or a girdling root is suspected, we carefully remove the soil from around the trunk until the root flare is exposed. It’s the step most often skipped, yet a buried or strangled root collar is one of the most common causes of decline in urban trees, and it can’t be seen from above ground.
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Soil assessment
Soil assessment typically covers site hydrology, compaction testing, pH, structure, texture and rooting environment. We check everything from nutrient deficiency to site history, making sure we have context of what your tree’s been through and what’s currently holding it back.
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Differential diagnosis
We weigh up everything found, from the canopy to the soil, against the possible causes: disease, pests, environmental stress and site conditions. Causes are ruled out one at a time until what’s left explains the whole picture, so you treat the actual problem, not just the most visible symptom.
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Laboratory analysis
As qualified arborists, we have access to specialist soil testing laboratories that aren’t open to the public. This allows us to test soil samples for soil-borne pathogens such as Phytophthora and Pythium, which helps save you time and money by treating the right thing the first time.
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Treatment plan and prognosis
You get a written treatment plan aimed at the cause we found, setting out what needs to be done and in what order. It includes a realistic prognosis and what improvement should look like and when, so you can tell the treatment is working. Where a tree can’t be saved, or the money is better spent on a replacement, we’ll tell you.
How to get a Tree Health Assessment
To get a tree health assessment you should engage an AQF Level 5 consulting arborist who’s familiar with local tree species and their common pests, pathogens and diseases. Tell the arborist what the tree is doing, when it started and anything that changed on the site, such as building work, paving or new fill.
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Not sure whether you need a tree health assessment? Book a consultation so we can discuss your tree and what you’re seeing. You’ll get a straight answer and a fixed quote.
Why Soil Is Usually the Answer
Most urban tree decline in Brisbane starts below ground. These are the site problems we find most often, and what they do to a tree:
| Site problem | What it does | What you’ll see |
|---|---|---|
| Compaction | Crushes the air spaces in the soil, so roots starve of oxygen and can’t take up water or nutrients | Thinning canopy, small or pale leaves, slow decline |
| Altered drainage | Waterlogging drowns the roots, which die back and invite Phytophthora root rot | Wilting, yellowing leaves, dieback from the tips |
| Extra topsoil over the roots | Smothers the roots and starves them of oxygen; bark buried at the base stays wet and rots | Decline two or three seasons later, collar rot |
| Altered pH from concrete | Lime leaching from concrete raises the soil pH and locks out iron and manganese | Yellowing between the leaf veins, stunted new growth |
| Construction damage | Cut roots take away anchorage and the water supply on that side of the tree | One-sided dieback a season or two later |
The practical consequence is that a diagnosis which never got below the mulch line is a guess. Reading the canopy tells you a tree is stressed. Reading the soil tells you why, and only the second one tells you what to do about it.
How Tree Disease Treatment Works
Treatment is matched to the cause we find, and often combines more than one approach. These are the main treatments we use:
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Foliar spray
Treats leaf diseases and sap-sucking pestsA fungicide, insecticide or nutrient spray applied to the leaves and canopy. It treats leaf diseases such as myrtle rust and leaf spot, and sap-sucking pests such as psyllids and scale, and is timed to the tree’s growth so new leaves are protected as they emerge.
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Trunk injection
Delivered through the tree’s own sap flowTreatment injected directly into the trunk, which the tree carries up through its own sap flow. It delivers products such as phosphonate for Phytophthora root rot, or systemic insecticides, with no spray drift and nothing left on the ground, which suits large trees and sensitive sites.
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Soil amendments
Fixes the soil the roots grow inImproving the soil the roots grow in: decompacting it to let air and water back in, adding organic matter and mulch to rebuild its structure and biology, and correcting pH. Soil-applied treatments, such as fungicides, are drenched into the root zone where the problem is.
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Site improvements
Removes the cause from the siteChanging the tree’s surroundings to remove the cause of the stress. That can mean diverting drainage to stop waterlogging, moving sprinklers that keep the trunk wet, clearing soil or mulch piled against the base, pruning out infected wood, or keeping traffic off the root zone.
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Nutrition
Feeds a deficiency, not a guessFertiliser and nutrient treatments where the tree is deficient, based on what the soil and leaves show rather than guesswork. Nutrition is matched to the species and the soil’s pH, because the wrong fertiliser can feed the problem: too much nitrogen pushes soft new growth that rust and sap-sucking pests target.
Tree Doctor or Arborist? What’s the Difference
There’s no difference in qualification. “Tree doctor” isn’t a licensed title in Australia; it’s the name people use for an arborist who diagnoses and treats sick trees, rather than one who prunes or removes them. Arborists range from tree workers qualified at AQF Level 3 to consulting arborists at AQF Level 5, who are trained in tree biology, pests, diseases and soils, and write diagnostic reports.
If your tree is sick, the person you want is an AQF Level 5 consulting arborist who’s familiar with local species and their common pests, pathogens and diseases. That’s who carries out a tree health assessment.
Don’t let a $20K tree die
when a $220 consultation could have saved it
Tree Health Assessment Questions
Can a sick or dying tree be saved?
Often, if the cause is found early enough. Compaction, poor drainage, a buried root collar and many pest problems are frequently reversible once they are fixed. Advanced root or butt rot generally isn’t. You’ll get an honest prognosis, including when the money is better spent on a replacement.
Is fungus on a tree trunk dangerous?
It can be. Mushrooms or brackets on a trunk are the fruiting bodies of a fungus already living inside the tree. Some only feed on dead wood and do little harm, while others, such as Ganoderma and brown root rot, decay the structural wood or the roots and can make a tree unstable. Fungus at the base is the most serious sign, because that is where the tree’s anchorage is. It’s worth having it identified, and where the tree stands over a house, a driveway or people, having a tree risk assessment done at the same time.
Can tree root rot be treated?
It depends on what is causing it. Phytophthora root rot can usually be managed with phosphonate applications, alongside fixing the drainage that let it take hold. Decay fungi such as Ganoderma and brown root rot can’t be cured once they are established, so treatment is about slowing the spread, protecting neighbouring trees and checking whether the tree is still stable. Identifying the organism first matters, because the treatments are different.
What is dieback, and can it be treated?
Dieback is when branches die from the tips back towards the trunk. It is a symptom rather than a disease, and in Brisbane it is most often caused by root problems such as compaction, waterlogging, drought or root damage from building work, sometimes with Phytophthora or insects involved. It can usually be treated once the cause is found, by fixing the root zone, correcting drainage or watering, and pruning out the dead wood when the tree starts to recover.
Do I need council approval to treat or remove a sick tree?
To remove it, often yes. If the tree is protected under your council’s local law, removing or heavily pruning it needs approval, even if it is sick or dying, and council will usually want an arborist report as evidence. Most treatment, such as soil work, mulching and watering, doesn’t need approval, but work that cuts roots or branches of a protected tree can. Rules differ between councils, so check your council’s rules or ask us at the inspection.
Do I need a health assessment or a risk assessment?
They answer different questions about the same tree. A health assessment asks why it is declining and how to treat it. A tree risk assessment asks how likely it is to fail, what it would hit and how bad that would be. A tree can be in poor health and pose almost no risk because nothing sits under it, and a structurally dangerous tree can be perfectly healthy. Where a declining tree stands over something that matters, it’s worth having both, and they can usually be done on the same visit.
How do I know if my tree is sick or dying?
The common signs are a thinning canopy, branches dying back from the tips, leaves that are small, off-colour or dropping early, fungus on the trunk or base, cracks or cavities, and a tree that went backwards after building work nearby. Our guide on how to tell if a tree is dead, dying or dangerous walks through them. If you’re seeing any of these, a tree health inspection finds out what is causing it.
Do you treat diseased trees, or just diagnose them?
We do both. We inspect the tree, find the cause, write the treatment plan and carry out the treatment, so one tree doctor sees it through from diagnosis to recovery.
How much does a tree inspection cost in Brisbane?
Our tree health inspection starts at $220 including GST for the site visit. Treatment and any laboratory soil testing are on top of that, depending on what the tree needs. You can estimate your cost with our calculator, and every job is quoted at a fixed fee before work starts.
How long before I know if the treatment worked?
Longer than people expect, because trees respond on a seasonal cycle rather than a weekly one. Soil decompaction, drainage correction or collar excavation typically show in the next flush of growth — so one growing season for the first signal, and two to three before you can say the tree has genuinely recovered. That is also why the report sets out what improvement should look like and when: without that, it is impossible to tell a treatment that failed from one that has not finished working yet.
Why does soil science matter for trees?
Because most urban tree health problems in Brisbane originate below ground — compaction from construction traffic, altered drainage, fill placed over the root zone, or root severance from trenching. Reading the canopy tells you a tree is stressed. Reading the soil tells you why.
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Request a quote for tree health & disease treatment
Tell us what the tree is doing — the symptoms, when they started, and anything that changed on the site around then. You will get a fixed price and a realistic timeframe, and an honest answer if the tree does not need this at all.
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Related
Often needed alongside this
Tree Risk Assessment
A structured evaluation of how likely a tree is to fail, what it would hit, and what the consequences would be — documented so your decision is defensible.
Read more →Arborist Report
A written assessment of your tree by qualified arborists at AQF Level 5 — the document councils ask for when you apply to prune or remove protected vegetation.
Read more →Tree Management Plan
A whole-of-site plan: what trees you have, what condition they are in, what they will cost, and what needs doing in what order over the next five years.
Read more →Not sure what you need?
Describe the situation and you will get a straight answer about which report your council actually requires — including when the answer is that you do not need one.