An arborist is a tree specialist: someone trained to judge a tree's health, its structure and the risk it poses, and to treat it where it can be saved. Many people call them tree surgeons. Call one before you decide to fell a big tree, when an estate or insurer wants a report, or when a tree shows dieback, fungus or borer holes. Send one free, no-obligation request and arborists near you can quote for the visit, the report or the work.
What an arborist does
Arborist work starts with looking. A tree assessment covers:
- The crown: dieback, thin leaves, deadwood and weak forks.
- The trunk: cavities, cracks, fungi, bark damage and borer holes.
- The roots and soil: lifting, root damage from trenching or paving, waterlogging.
- What is under the tree: the house, a road, a play area, power lines.
From that the arborist recommends pruning, cabling, treatment, monitoring or removal, and often supervises the work.
Diseases, borers and decline
Trees decline for many reasons: drought, compacted soil, root damage during building, wrong pruning, fungi and insects. Borers have killed many garden trees in parts of the country; tiny entry holes, sawdust and wilting branches are early signs. Fungal brackets on a trunk or at the base often point to internal decay. An arborist can tell you whether the tree can be treated, needs to be watched, or has become a hazard. Sending samples to a laboratory may be suggested for some pests.
Reports for estates, insurers and councils
Body corporates, estates, schools and businesses often need a written tree report: a list of trees with their condition, the risk they pose and what should be done, with photos. Insurers may want one after a tree has damaged property, and a municipality or estate may ask for one before a large tree can be removed. Ask what the report will include and in what format before you book it.
Arborist or tree feller?
A tree feller takes trees down. An arborist decides whether a tree should come down at all, and how to keep it if it can stay. Tree surgery covers cabling and bracing weak forks, crown reduction, removing decayed limbs and improving soil around the roots. Many arborists also run felling teams. If the tree must go, see tree cutting services; for regular care, see tree pruning.
What to include in your request
- What worries you: lean, cracks, fungus, borers
- Photos of the trunk base, trunk and crown
- Whether you need a written report and for whom
- Number of trees to be assessed
- What is under the tree: house, road, play area
Arborists & Tree Surgeons for different clients
- Homeowners: deciding whether a big old tree near the house can stay or must come down
- Estates, complexes and body corporates: written tree surveys for body corporates and estates with a yearly work plan
- Farms, smallholdings and plantations: checking old windbreaks, homestead trees and orchards for decline and borers
- Businesses and commercial property: risk checks on trees over car parks, guest areas and walkways
- Schools, churches and municipalities: tree surveys for schools, parks, churches and cemeteries with many visitors
- Developers and building sites: assessing which trees on a site are worth keeping and how to protect them
- Servitudes and fire breaks: advice on trees near servitudes, with line work left to authorised teams
- Tree fellers, landscapers and garden services: tree fellers and landscapers bringing in an arborist for reports and advice
Frequently asked questions
What does arborist mean?
How much does an arborist charge?
Can an arborist save a tree that is leaning or has a cavity?
Are you an arborist company?
Arborists & Tree Surgeons by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg