What is the difference between a tree arborist and a tree lopper?

Tree lopping involves indiscriminately chopping off tree branches for immediate aesthetic improvement, without regard for the long-term impact on the tree’s health. Tree lopping can actually weaken and stress a tree, leaving it vulnerable to pest disease. In contrast, tree services performed by an arborist are guaranteed to properly maintain the health and appearance of your tree. An arborist — educated in the science of arboriculture — is qualified and trained to make a well-considered assessment and changes that will preserve the tree’s health and vitality.

How do I find a qualified Brisbane arborist?

Hiring a reputable and qualified Brisbane arborist is the best way to ensure your trees’ health and protect your property from damage. Having said that, it’s important to seek a certified Brisbane tree arborist with a wealth of experience and strong customer testimonials. Arbor Operations has been helping and advising Brisbane residents, property developers, body corporates, government and schools on how to best maintain the health of their trees since 1986. Our staff at Arbor Operations are members of numerous industry bodies so you can feel confident in our friendly, professional, safe and caring service.

Where do you offer your Brisbane tree services?

We provide tree consulting, tree cutting, tree removal, tree trimming and pruning, palm tree removal, stump grinding, and tree mulching services throughout South East Queensland. We work in the greater Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast regions.

Storm Season: How to Prepare

Trees, by their very nature, are hazardous. By this we mean that they shouldn’t be overlooked or assumed to be safe just because they are healthy, well-grounded specimens. In a storm, or extreme weather event, trees that are healthy and have been standing for dozens of years can still cause damage to property and potentially people.

This post is written to help you do what you can to prepare your trees for our upcoming storm season in South East Queensland. Again, all trees should be treated as a risk and no assumption should be made that ‘it’ll be right mate’.

Here are some general tips to get you started:

Have your trees inspected regularly – this is to ensure the experts have run an eye over them and can assess the risk factors of your particular tree or trees. An Arborist can also give you an idea of any maintenance or removal that needs to take place to ensure property and people are as safe as possible.

Keep an eye on your trees between Arborist visits – look for damage such as cracks in the trunk or limbs; hollow, aged or decaying trees; hanging and deformed branches; trees that lean or branches that come into contact with infrastructure. If you are unsure, consult an Arborist.

Get to know your trees – all tree species are different and some are more prone to decay, disease or damage than others. Consult an Arborist in the beginning to identify and assess your tree and action recommended works. If you are unsure, get a second opinion.

DO NOT lop (or top) your trees – this is the most important point! Have a look at some other articles we’ve posted on this website to research the danger lopping or topping your tree can pose to both property and life. A previously lopped/topped tree can be unbalanced, have decay (that is unknown or unseen to the untrained eye) and cause an especially dangerous environment for any person or infrastructure within the vicinity of that tree – whether during an extreme weather event or at anytime. There are no guarantees with any tree by their nature, and even fewer with trees that have been mutilated in such a way.

Be mindful of advice from anyone other than a fully-qualified Arborist – tree loppers can, at times, seem less expensive than an Arborist, however this is a very short term view. Loppers may encourage you to lop/top your tree and give you the impression that this will make it safer. It will not. And if you feel you’d like to keep the tree, the practice of lopping or topping will certainly make the tree more costly to maintain in the longer term.

Fully-qualified Arborists will always refer back to theAustralian Standard AS4373 Pruning for Amenity Trees to determine the appropriate pruning techniques and guidelines and may suggest work that contradicts advice you’ve had from a lopper. Adherence to the Australian Standard reduces the risk to to both you and your property and ensures the longevity of a tree with the objective of a safer environment for all.

If you would like to know about how a qualified Arborist can help you, please contact us today.

Posted in: Latest News and Information | Tags: arborist , storm season , tree cutting , tree lopping , tree pruning