Dee Why based · Since 2005 · Cert IV arborist
Removals, pruning, hedging and stump grinding across the Northern Beaches and Lower North Shore. A qualified climbing arborist who quotes the job, climbs the tree, and sorts the council paperwork himself.
The numbers
Conrad Brooks has been climbing on the Northern Beaches and Lower North Shore since 2005 — long enough to know which councils want what, which species are exempt, and how to get a forty metre gum out of a backyard without touching the pool.
What we do
One crew, one arborist, the full range of domestic and strata tree work. If it needs a permit we'll tell you before we quote it, not after.
Dead, dangerous or simply in the wrong place. Dismantled and rigged down piece by piece over roofs, pools and fences, or felled whole where there's room to drop it.
Crown thinning, lifting and reduction to Australian Standard AS 4373 — so the tree keeps its shape, its health, and stops dropping limbs on the driveway.
Lilly pilly, murraya, photinia and viburnum kept sharp and square. Regular maintenance rounds available for homes, strata and commercial properties.
Ground out well below grade so you can turf, pave or replant straight over the top. Grindings raked out or taken away, your call.
Deadwood pulled out of the canopy before it comes down on its own. The cheapest storm insurance you will ever buy for a mature gum.
Everything chipped on site and carted away, or left as mulch for your garden beds. Free mulch drops for locals when we've got a load.
Tree on the roof, limb through the fence, gum leaning over the neighbour's bedroom. We make it safe, do the removal, and write up what the insurer needs to see.
Call 0404 304 005
Who you're dealing with
Conrad Brooks landed on the Northern Beaches from Canada in 2005 — trained in sports marketing, of all things, and fresh off years of working at heights for Bell Canada. His father-in-law had a tree business here. The climbing came naturally, the marketing career did not survive.
Sixteen years later he has taken down everything from a hedge in Freshwater to crane and cherry picker removals in Bayview, and the maple leaf is still on the ute.
Why people call back
Anyone can own a chainsaw. Turning up when you said you would, on a steep block, next to a pool, with the right insurance behind you — that is the part people pay for.
Conrad quotes every job himself and he is the one in the harness on the day. Nothing gets lost between a salesperson and a crew who have never seen the site.
Beaches blocks are steep, tight and full of pools, decks and sandstone. Everything is rigged and lowered in controlled pieces, and the site is left cleaner than we found it.
Knowing an angophora from a blackbutt is not trivia here — it decides whether your tree is exempt, whether it needs a permit, and how it should be pruned.
Limb through the roof at six in the morning is a phone call, not a form. Emergency make-safe and full removals, seven days a week.
Councils & permits
Northern Beaches and Hornsby both run tree preservation orders, and both publish a list of species you can remove without approval. Before we quote we check your tree against the current list — and if it isn't on there, we prepare the application for you.
Covers Manly through to Palm Beach, including the old Pittwater and Warringah areas. Exempt species lists differ between the former council boundaries, which catches a lot of people out.
Check my tree →Its own tree preservation order and its own exemption list. We'll tell you which one you fall under and whether an application is worth lodging before you spend anything.
Check my tree →Willoughby, North Sydney, Mosman, Lane Cove and Ku-ring-gai each run their own rules. Tell us your street and we'll work out what applies.
Check my tree →Some applications need an AQF Level 5 arboricultural report. Conrad works with consulting arborists who write them, so you are not left chasing one yourself.
Call 0404 304 005 →On the tools
Nothing wasted
Timber goes out as firewood, chip goes back into local gardens. If you want the mulch left behind for your beds, just say so on the quote.
Reviews
Conrad did an excellent job trimming our tree canopy. He had a sound knowledge of tree species and local council legislation.
Conrad and his team were exceptional. They arrived on time, worked tirelessly and carefully, and tidied up.
I needed an urgent job done. Conrad called in late that day to quote a great price and came the next day.
Great job removing a large tree in an awkward position. Efficient, smooth process. Highly recommended.
We've used Conrad and his team twice now, and both times have been nothing short of excellent.
I have never seen a harder or more dedicated worker who also takes great care.
Where we work
If you're on the Northern Beaches or the Lower North Shore, we're close. Not on the list? Call anyway — chances are we're already working two streets over.
Common questions
Often, yes — but not always. Both Northern Beaches and Hornsby publish lists of exempt species that can be removed without approval, and a surprising number of backyard trees are on them. Send us a photo and your suburb and we'll check the current list before you spend anything on an application.
It depends on the size of the tree, what's underneath it, and how far the chipper can get to it. A palm in an open front yard and a gum leaning over a pool are very different jobs. Quotes are free, on site, and fixed in writing.
Yes — public liability and workers compensation, with a current certificate of currency we're happy to email you before the job starts. Ask for it. Anyone who hesitates is not someone you want in your tree.
Seven days. If a tree is on your house or blocking your driveway, call rather than email. We can make the site safe first and deal with the full removal and the insurance paperwork afterwards.
Everything is chipped on site and taken away as standard. If you'd like the mulch left for your garden beds or the trunk cut into firewood lengths, just tell us at the quote and it costs you nothing extra.
Regularly. Ongoing hedge and canopy maintenance rounds for buildings, schools and commercial sites across the Beaches and North Shore, with documentation for your building manager.
Free quotes
A photo of the tree and your suburb is usually enough for a ballpark. Conrad will tell you whether it needs council approval, what it will cost, and when he can be there.
