Project arborist for a Roseville apartment build, from first tree to final sign-off

Small roots cut cleanly where the new path crosses the lilly pilly's root zone.

Roseville · 2021–2024 · Builders & developers

The challenge

A builder developing an apartment site in Roseville needed a project arborist under its council approval. Four council street trees and two big trees inside the site had to survive three years of building, and some of the works ran inside their structural root zones, the part of the root system that holds a tree up. The project arborist had to monitor the construction work in and around the trees, and at the end certify that the trees were no worse off.

What we did

• Set up the council's inspection stages and checked the site at each one, issuing an interim compliance certificate in 2022.

• Removed the trees and palms that were approved to go, including a large blackbutt, and ground out the stumps.

• Wrote a pruning report for three council street trees.

• Beside the new substation, the builder's crew dug a trial trench to map a large gum's roots while William watched. The wall was then built around the roots on pier-and-beam footings, with every root kept 100 mm clear.

• Soaked the gum's root zone with beneficial fungi, organic fertiliser and an organic wetting agent to help root growth, and removed deadwood from it and two other trees.

• Where a new footpath crossed a lilly pilly's roots, small roots were cut cleanly and wrapped in damp cloth. The path was laid in porous concrete, which lets water and air reach the roots.

Roots wrapped in damp cloth so they don't dry out before the path is laid.

• In September 2024, William signed the final certificate.

The result

All four council trees were kept, with no damage to their structural roots. The new street trees were checked against the council's conditions for species and size.

The new street trees, checked against the council's conditions.