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Which Arborist Report Do You Need?
There is no single "arborist report". Councils ask for different documents depending on what you are doing, and being quoted for the wrong one is the most common and most expensive mistake people make. Two questions below and you will know which document answers yours.
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I am a…
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I want to…
Your answer
More than one applies? That is normal, and it usually means one report covering both — a removal application inside a development, for instance, is one job rather than two. Describe the whole situation when you enquire and it gets scoped as one piece of work.
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What is an arborist report for council?
It is an independent written assessment of a tree — its species, health, structure, context and the reasoning for whatever is proposed — prepared by a qualified arborist so a council can assess an application without relying on the contractor doing the work. Councils across South East Queensland generally require AQF Level 5 as the minimum qualification, and Brisbane City Council specifically requires it for significant landscape trees.
Is an arborist report the same as an impact assessment?
No. An arborist report assesses the tree and supports a removal or pruning application. An Arboricultural Impact Assessment assesses a proposed development against the trees being retained — protection zones, encroachment, and what the construction will do to them. If you are building, you almost certainly need the second one, and being quoted for the first is a common and expensive mix-up.
Can one report cover several trees?
Yes, and it is much cheaper per tree than commissioning them separately. The first tree carries the site visit; additional trees are incremental. A five-tree assessment costs considerably less than five single assessments.
What if I have been quoted for the wrong report?
It happens often, usually in the direction of more than you need. Send through what your council actually asked for and you will get a straight answer about which document answers it — including when the answer is that you do not need one at all.
Still not sure which one?
Send through what your council asked for — the information request, the conditions, or just the problem. You will get a straight answer, including when the answer is that you do not need a report.