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CONTRACTING » Oakwood Tree Care & Consultancy
April 2016 Business North
Firm offers complete tree service Karen Phelps How important is it to your business or facility to ensure you take care of any trees on your property? Could it even cost you money if you don’t? According to David Thomas, owner of Auckland based Oakwood Treecare & Consultancy Ltd, regular maintenance of trees can avoid costly repairs when things go wrong. Trees planted in the wrong location can cause damage to surrounding concrete work, paths, car parks, building foundations or perimeter fences. Underground systems such as clay pipework can also be affected.
“Tree pruning has many advantages including avoiding property damage and risk of injury from falling branches, improving views and letting light into a building,” says David. “Our services include identifying any high risk branches as well as an emergency tree removal service although we much prefer to prevent damage before it happens with well planned, professional tree trimming and tree pruning.” David and his team have been offering corporate and residential clients advice regarding tree maintenance issues since 2002. Based in Auckland, David says that the Auckland market has recently experienced a relaxing of local body regulations around the removal and trimming
of trees, which has unfortunately led to unqualified ‘cowboys’ entering the market. He advises that people select an arborist based on qualifications and time spent operating in the market. Oakwood Treecare & Consultancy is an approved contractor for Auckland Council and is an associate member of the New Zealand Arboricultural Association. David says that as an associate member his business it is important his business meets quality assurance standards and the high level of professionalism required by the association including training and health and safety systems. Oakwood Treecare and Consultancy carries public liability insurance and all of the arborists
Oakwood Treecare is an approved contractor for Auckland Council and is an associate member of the New Zealand Arboricultural Association.
employed by Oakwood Treecare & Consultancy are fully qualified and the company does not employ labourers. The company is a member of Site Safe and Hazardco and all staff are Site Safe certified. “We have established a good name in the industry,” says David proudly. “Our arborist team is familiar with every kind of tree work from facilities maintenance projects in parks, business premises and retirement villages to the maintenance of trees in urban environments and residential tree care. “Their experience in tree care and maintenance and familiarity with modern arborist equipment means they work safely and quickly and create minimal disturbance. “A big part of tree work is hands on experience, which you can only obtain over time, and we can offer that as well with our skilled team.” Born and bred in New Zealand David is an internationally experienced arborist who has been awarded the Professional Diploma in Aboriculture by The Royal Forestry Society of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. He has used his expert tree care skills on some of the most prominent trees in London including tree care, removal and maintenance in Westminster Abbey, The Tower of London, Whitehall and Hyde Park. David says that a big part of the company’s service is providing the right advice: “For example if a customer has a large tree near power lines, close to their house or business that is causing damage to drains or fences, sometimes tree pruning isn’t enough. “In some cases tree felling is the only answer,” he says. “But there are many things to consider before making the final decision to remove a tree, and let’s face it, that is the last resort because we value trees for many reasons. “We talk through all the options before deciding if felling a tree is the best solution.” He says that Oakwood Treecare & Consultancy invests in state of the art arborist equipment including chainsaws, safety gear, heavy-duty chippers and stump grinders. The company’s services include tree felling, tree pruning, tree trimming, hedge trimming, stump grinding and garden mulch. Clients include landscapers, business owners and homeowners as well as on-going work for facilities such as schools and golf courses. The company offers free quotes and works Auckland-wide.