Short answer
An arborist for removal — but first, if it is anywhere near power lines, ring your electricity distributor and keep everyone well clear, and if it has hit the house, ring your insurer before the evidence is cleared away.
When it is someone else
Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Arborist.
your electricity distributor
any part of the tree is on or near conductors. Treat every wire as live, including one lying on the ground.
your insurer
it has damaged a building, a fence or a vehicle. Photograph before anything moves.
it is on the roof. Getting the tree off is one job and making the roof watertight is another, and they need to happen in that order on the same day.
your council
the tree came from public land or is blocking a road or footpath.
What to do before anyone arrives
- Keep clear of anything touching a power line, at a distance — energised conductors can charge the ground around them.
- Photograph everything before any clearing.
- Ring the insurer and ask what they cover for make-safe and whether they require their own contractor.
- Do not start cutting. A fallen tree holds stored tension in bent limbs and trunks, and that releases violently when the wrong cut is made.
What to ask when you book
- Can you make safe today and complete removal later?
- Is the debris removal and stump included?
- Will you provide a written report and photographs for the insurance claim?
What changes the price
No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.
- Size and species, and what it landed on.
- Access for machinery.
- Whether structural make-safe of a building is involved.
- Whether it is a widespread storm event, when every arborist in the region is committed.
What you can do yourself
Is this licensed work?
Not a licensed trade; qualification, insurance and, near power lines, accreditation are what matter.
There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.
- NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
- VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
- QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
- WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
- SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
- TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
- ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
- NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers
Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.
Common questions
- Who should I hire for a tree that has fallen
- An arborist for removal — but first, if it is anywhere near power lines, ring your electricity distributor and keep everyone well clear, and if it has hit the house, ring your insurer before the evidence is cleared away.
- Who pays when a neighbour's tree falls on my house?
- In the ordinary case your own home insurance responds to the damage, and whether your insurer then pursues the neighbour depends on whether the neighbour was negligent — for example, if they had been told the tree was dangerous and did nothing. That is why written evidence of any prior warning matters, and why photographs of the failure are worth taking before cleanup.
Find a Arborist near you
918 arborists in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.
- Melbourne 61
- Brisbane 57
- Sydney 56
- Perth 42
- Adelaide 33
- Sunshine Coast 24
- Central Coast 23
- Gold Coast 22
- Wollongong 21
- Newcastle 18
- All arborists →
Businesses that say they take emergency callouts
Who to hire for
- Who to hire for a dangerous tree branchA qualified arborist, urgently, if a limb is cracked, hanging or has dropped. Keep people and cars out from un…
- Who to hire for storm damage to a roofA roofer for the emergency make-safe, and your insurer's claims line at the same time — many policies cover ma…
- Who to hire for a fence that has fallen overA fencing contractor — and before you book, talk to the neighbour, because in every Australian state a dividin…
- Who to hire for a tree that needs removingA qualified arborist — and check your council's rules before you book, because most local governments control …
General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.