What Is an Arborist Report, and When Does Your Council Require One?

Short version: an arborist report is a formal, written assessment of a tree, usually its health, structure, safety and significance, prepared by a qualified arborist, and a growing number of Australian councils require one as part of an application to remove, significantly prune, or sometimes even build near a tree, particularly larger or older trees on private property. Exactly when a report is required, what it needs to contain, and who is accepted as qualified to write it varies significantly from council to council, and even between neighbouring local government areas in the same state, so the only reliable answer for your situation is your specific council's current tree management or vegetation protection rules, not a general assumption based on what a friend's council required.

What an arborist report actually is

At its core, an arborist report is a documented professional opinion. Depending on why it's being commissioned, it typically covers some combination of:

• Tree identification and general details, species, approximate age, size, location relative to structures and boundaries.
• Health assessment, whether the tree shows signs of disease, pest damage, decay or other health issues, based on visual inspection and sometimes more detailed assessment methods for internal structural concerns.
• Structural assessment, whether the tree's form, root system, trunk and canopy present a genuine risk of failure, and under what conditions.
• Amenity or significance assessment, in some council contexts, an evaluation of the tree's contribution to the streetscape, local ecology or heritage value, which can weigh into whether removal is approved even if the tree is otherwise healthy.
• Recommendations, whether the tree should be retained, monitored, pruned (and how), or removed, and often what should replace it if removal is recommended.

Reports commissioned for a removal or development application are usually more detailed and more formally structured than a quick health check requested by a homeowner just wanting a professional opinion before deciding what to do with a tree in their yard.

Who can actually write one

This is one of the most important things to get right before you commission a report, because a council will generally only accept a report from someone with recognised qualifications, and a report from an unqualified source can simply be rejected, costing you the money and the time.

In Australia, arborist qualifications are generally structured around the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), with common relevant qualifications including Certificate III, IV, and Diploma-level arboriculture qualifications, roughly corresponding to increasing levels of expertise and scope. Many councils specify a minimum qualification level, often at least AQF Level 5 (Diploma of Arboriculture) or equivalent, for reports submitted as part of a formal removal or development application, though this genuinely varies by council and by the complexity or significance of the tree in question. Some councils maintain their own list of recognised or preferred consulting arborists.

The practical takeaway: before you pay for a report, confirm with your council (or check their published tree management policy) exactly what qualification level they require the author to hold. Commissioning a report from someone without the right credentials for your specific council's requirements is a wasted report.

When councils typically require one

Requirements vary enormously, but broadly, councils are more likely to require an arborist report when:

• The tree is above a certain size threshold, many councils define "significant" or "protected" trees by trunk circumference or diameter measured at a standard height, and trees below that threshold may not require any approval at all to remove.
• The tree is a protected or heritage-listed species, or sits within a heritage overlay or vegetation protection area.
• The application involves development, building, extensions, pools, driveways, near a tree's root zone, even where removal isn't the direct request.
• The tree is on public land or a street tree, which is generally council-controlled regardless of size.
• The removal request cites safety or health concerns, since the report is what substantiates that claim to the council rather than taking the applicant's word for it.

Some councils apply blanket protection to all trees over a certain size regardless of species or location; others focus protection on specific listed or native species while leaving common exotic species largely unregulated. This is exactly the kind of detail that differs council to council, and assuming your situation matches what applied somewhere else is a common and costly mistake.

What happens if you skip this step

Removing or significantly pruning a protected tree without the required approval, when one was needed, can carry real consequences in most Australian jurisdictions, ranging from fines through to orders requiring replacement planting, and penalties in some jurisdictions for significant unauthorised removals can be substantial. This isn't a minor administrative formality in council areas that take vegetation protection seriously, and "I didn't know I needed approval" is rarely treated as a defence. If there's any genuine safety concern with the tree, most councils have some process for urgent or emergency removal that moves faster than a standard application, but it still generally requires documentation, not just a phone call after the fact.

What buyers and sellers on the marketplace should know

If you're a property owner or a tree service business quoting a removal job, checking whether an arborist report is required, and whether the property owner already has one, should be one of the first questions asked, before an EWP is hired or bought or a quote is finalised. If you do end up with usable timber from an approved removal, whether it's worth milling into slabs or better suited to firewood is a separate question, our guide to pricing and selling milled timber slabs is worth a look if the tree in question turns out to be a species and size worth milling rather than chipping.

Looking for tree removal or arborist services, browse tree services listings to compare providers in your area, and ask directly whether they handle or can arrange the arborist report your specific job might need. Running a tree service business, list your services free and note whether report preparation is part of what you offer, it's a genuine point of difference for customers who don't yet know they need one.

For a current look at this, see our guide on Powerline Clearance Rules Homeowners Must Know in 2026.