Arboriculture and tree management
Arboricultural impact assessments, project arborist support, tree risk assessment, habitat replacement, and clearing supervision for development, infrastructure, government, and education projects across Sydney and NSW, delivered as an integrated part of our environmental consultancy
ESEA provides arboricultural assessment and project support in-house alongside its ecology services
This includes Arboricultural Impact Assessments and tree protection advice to Australian Standard AS 4970:2025, project arborist services through construction, tree risk assessment using the ISA tree-risk assessment methodology, assessment of trees for habitat features, salvage and relocation of natural hollows, installation of nest boxes, and supervision and certification of vegetation clearing.
Bringing biodiversity and arboricultural reporting together means the tree schedule, habitat assessment, and vegetation mapping are prepared and reviewed as one evidence base, reducing inconsistencies between disciplines.
Many Sydney councils require an Arboricultural Impact Assessment where a development application affects protected trees on or adjoining the site, and each council defines protected trees differently.
Current council definitions for the areas ESEA works in most are set out in the table below.
| Council | Protected tree definition |
|---|---|
| Ku-ring-gai | 5 metres or more in height, or 150 millimetres trunk diameter at ground level |
| Penrith | 3.5 metres or more in height, or trunk diameter exceeding 100 millimetres at 1.4 metres |
| Camden | 3 metres or more in height, 100 millimetres or more trunk diameter at 1 metre, or a branch span of 3 metres or more |
| Liverpool | More than 3.5 metres in height, more than 4 metres canopy spread, or more than 400 millimetres trunk diameter at 1 metre |
| Blacktown | More than 3 metres in height, or more than 200 millimetres trunk diameter at 1 metre |
Exemptions and approval pathways vary between councils, and development-related, heritage, or threatened ecological community tree works may require a different approval pathway.
Arboricultural assessment and tree protection advice should be prepared to the current AS 4970:2025 standard and the relevant council requirements.
On many NSW development sites, the arboricultural assessment and biodiversity assessment describe the same trees from different technical perspectives.
When the disciplines are prepared separately, inconsistencies can arise between tree schedules, habitat records, vegetation mapping, and clearing footprints.
Because ESEA provides both services, the tree schedule, habitat assessment, and vegetation mapping can be reconciled within one project team, and hollow replacement obligations can be traced back to the same field inventory.
This reduces avoidable reconciliation issues during assessment and makes the approved requirements clearer for construction.
Arboricultural advice is most useful before the design is fixed, when Tree Protection Zones and encroachment grades can still shape the footprint.
ESEA engages from project commencement, identifies early which trees will constrain the layout or carry habitat, and works with the design team on practical solutions that keep the approval moving and protect subdivision yield and Gross Floor Area where that is the objective.
Because the arborist and the ecologist are the same team, the tree schedule, the habitat assessment, and the certification agree, and we keep to clear timelines so neither report holds up the application.
Your project is managed by an experienced Senior Consultant from commencement through to completion, with Director-level review providing an additional layer of technical and strategic oversight.
Send us the site plan, the survey, and the council area. We will confirm which trees your council protects, identify which will constrain the layout under AS 4970:2025, and prepare an itemised proposal.
Call Us: 1300 000 525
402 / 56 Bowman Street,
Pyrmont, Sydney NSW 2009
Office Hours: 8:30am-5pm, Mon-Fri
ABN: 93673841257
This web experience is brought to you by Observed