How to Choose a Tree Service on the Northern Beaches (2026)

The Short Answer

Choose a tree service that will tell you who is doing the work and what qualifications they hold, confirm it is insured, inspect the tree before pricing it, and give you a written quote that spells out exactly what is included. It should also check Northern Beaches Council's rules before cutting, and never suggest rough topping. Small, ground-level garden jobs can be DIY. Anything involving a chainsaw at height, a ladder, heavy branches, power lines or a whole tree is not.

Qualifications: What the AQF Levels Mean

Arborist qualifications sit within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The two you will hear about most are listed on the national training register, training.gov.au.

Both were updated in 2024 and replaced earlier versions (AHC30820 and AHC50520), so you may see older codes on someone's certificate. That is normal.

What this means for you:

• For climbing, pruning and removal, ask whether the crew includes people with Certificate III (AQF Level 3) training.
• For a written report or risk assessment, ask who will inspect the tree and sign the document, and what qualification they hold. Northern Beaches Council's imminent-danger exemption specifically refers to an AQF Level 5 arborist or equivalent.
• Ask who will actually be on site. A business may employ qualified people without sending them to every job.

At Affordable Tree Services, team members include AQF Level 3 and AQF Level 5 qualified arborists.

Insurance

Ask directly whether the business is currently insured, and for what. The two that matter most are public liability, which responds if property is damaged or someone is injured, and workers compensation, which covers workers injured on the job. You can ask for a certificate of currency before work starts.

We are insured and hold public liability and workers compensation.

Written Quotes: What a Good One Includes

NSW Fair Trading's quote advice is written for building work, but it applies well to tree work: give each business the same information so the quotes are comparable, get them in writing, and make sure any changes are agreed in writing too.

A tree-work quote should tell you:

• Which trees, identified clearly, especially on a block with several
• What work: removal, or pruning to a stated extent and purpose
• The method, such as climbing, sectional removal, an elevated work platform or a crane
• What happens to the timber and branches: chipped, removed, left as mulch or left cut into lengths
• Whether stump grinding is included, and to what depth
• Cleanup: what will be raked, blown and removed
• Access and traffic arrangements, if the street or a neighbour's land is involved
• The Council position: whether the work appears exempt or needs a permit, and who is responsible for that
• Price and payment terms

If one quote is much cheaper, check what it leaves out. Our tree removal cost guide explains what drives the price.

Council Knowledge

On the Northern Beaches, most trees over 5 metres are protected unless an exemption applies. Pruning without a permit is limited to reasonable pruning of up to 10 per cent of the canopy in 12 months, carried out to AS 4373, plus deadwood removal. Council's illegal tree works page warns that you could be charged even on your own property, and that the Land and Environment Court can impose fines of up to $1.1 million.

A good tree service should raise this before quoting, not after cutting. We explain Council's requirements for your tree, but the property owner handles any application and communication with Council. Our tree permit guide covers the details.

Red Flags

Door-knockers after a storm

After severe weather, people sometimes go door to door offering to clear trees on the spot. Be wary of unsolicited offers after a storm, and check any business before you engage it.

If someone approaches you uninvited and you agree to work worth more than $100, NSW unsolicited consumer agreement rules give you a 10 business day cooling-off period. During that time the supplier must not accept payment or supply the services. Salespeople can only door-knock between 9am and 6pm on weekdays and 9am and 5pm on Saturdays, and never on Sundays or public holidays. Someone who wants cash to start immediately is a warning sign.

For genuine storm emergencies, call NSW SES on 132 500 and a tree service you have chosen yourself. See what to do when a tree falls.

Other warning signs

• Offers to top a tree, cutting it back to stubs. Northern Beaches Council will not approve topping requests, and any reduction should follow AS 4373.
• No inspection, just a price over the phone for a large or complex job
• Cash only, or a large deposit before work is booked
• No business name or ABN. Check the business on the Australian Business Register's ABN Lookup.
• Vague answers about insurance, qualifications or who will do the work
• "Council doesn't care" or no mention of Council at all
• Pressure to decide today

Questions to Ask Before You Book

1. Who will be doing the work, and what qualifications do they hold?
2. Are you currently insured for public liability and workers compensation?
3. Have you inspected the tree, and what method will you use?
4. Does this work need a Council permit, or which exemption applies?
5. What exactly is included: timber, chipping, stump, cleanup?
6. Will any of the work be near power lines, and who is authorised to do it?
7. Can I see examples of similar jobs?

You can see our completed work on the projects page, labelled with the real suburb and service.

When DIY Is Fine

Some garden jobs are reasonable to do yourself with ordinary hand tools while standing on the ground:

• Watering and mulching young trees, keeping mulch away from the trunk
• Light formative pruning of small, young plants
• Removing small dead twigs you can reach from the ground
• Clearing fallen leaves, fruit and small branches
• Pulling weed seedlings such as privet before they establish

Stop if a branch is heavier than you expected, under tension, above people or property, or needs you to stretch or climb.

When It Is Not

The SafeWork NSW Tree works Code of practice, which commenced in March 2026, is written for workplaces, but its safety points are worth knowing at home:

• It describes portable ladders as a significant risk for tree work.
• It says a person without the right training should not climb a tree within 3 metres of electric lines, or cut branches that might come within 3 metres of them.
• It says tree felling should only be done by a skilled and experienced person or under competent supervision, and that clear felling generally needs at least two tree lengths of open space in every direction. Few suburban blocks have that.

Leave these jobs to a tree team:

• Removing a whole tree, or anything that needs to come down in sections
• Large, dead, split or hanging branches
• Any chainsaw work off the ground or above shoulder height
• Trees near the house, pool, fence, road or a neighbour's property
• Anything near power lines or the service wire
• Storm-damaged or suddenly leaning trees
• Stumps near pipes, cables or paving

The real cost of DIY

Compare the full job, not just the hire price of one tool: protective equipment, equipment delivery and damage waivers, getting rid of the timber and branches, possible damage to gardens, paving or roofs, and the risk of an unfinished job that then needs a professional anyway.

How We Can Help

Affordable Tree Services has operated on the Northern Beaches since 2007. We provide a free on-site assessment and a written quote that sets out the method and inclusions, with no travel surcharge across the 47 suburbs we cover. If you are unsure whether a job is DIY or one for us, send photos of the whole tree, its base and the access, and we will tell you plainly. For planned work, see our tree removal and tree pruning services. For anything urgent, call 0425 350 004 at any time.