Tree down? We make it safe, then make it gone.
Fallen trees, trees on roofs and cars, hanging branches and storm damage, removed by qualified Sutherland Shire arborists with the cranes and gear to do it safely. Then the paperwork your insurer wants.
- Since 2004
- AQF Level 5 arborists
- $20 million insured
- Cranes and EWPs
- Insurance invoices and photos
- 22+ yrsArborists since 2004
- AQF 5Two consulting arborists
- $20mPublic liability insurance
- RFSVolunteer Deputy Captain and trainer on the team
- TAFEChainsaw operations teacher on staff
- 5.0★Google rating (22 reviews)
What to do in the first hour
Safety first, then evidence, then the clean-up. The full guide is on what to do when a tree falls.
Get everyone clear
Keep people and pets away from the tree and anything it is resting on. Don't try to cut a tree that is under tension: a trunk pinned against a house can spring back violently.
Power lines? Call the network first
If the tree is touching or has brought down a line, stay at least 8 m away and call Ausgrid on 13 13 88 or Endeavour Energy on 131 003. Nobody touches it until the power is off.
Anyone hurt? Call 000
For injuries, someone trapped, or fire. If the tree is on your house, blocking your only way out or your roof is leaking, the SES on 132 500 makes it temporarily safe.
Photograph everything
Before anything is moved: the tree, where it came from, the damage, the stump. Then call your insurer and ask for permission in writing before authorising work.
Call us
Tell Wayne what is down, what it is on and whether access is blocked. Photos help us bring the right gear: climbers, an elevated work platform or a crane.
Make safe, then clean up
We secure or remove the immediate danger first. The full removal, stump grinding and clean-up follow once it is safe, with an itemised invoice and photos for your claim.
The right number for each problem
000
Anyone injured or trapped, or a fire.
NSW SES · 132 500
Tree on the house, blocking your door or driveway, roof damaged or leaking. The SES does temporary emergency measures to make your home safe.
Ausgrid · 13 13 88
A tree on or touching power lines in the Sutherland Shire, St George, inner and eastern Sydney. Stay 8 m away.
Endeavour Energy · 131 003
Power lines in western and south-western Sydney and the Illawarra.
Your council
A fallen street or park tree is the council's. Report it (or call the SES in an emergency). Don't cut a council tree yourself.
Above All · 0412 708 072
Once the scene is safe, Wayne or Alex will quote the removal and clean-up. In a big storm we triage by danger, and we tell you honestly when we can get there.
Emergency tree work across Sydney
We make the immediate danger safe first. The complete removal, stump grinding and clean-up can follow once it is.
Trees on houses, sheds and cars
Sectional dismantling with ropes, an EWP or a crane, so nothing else gets damaged on the way down.
Fallen trees across driveways and roads
Cut up, chipped and cleared, with traffic control where the street needs it.
Hanging and split branches
The "widow-makers" left in the canopy after a storm, removed before they fall on someone.
Trees leaning after a storm
An AQF Level 5 arborist assesses whether it can be saved, needs pruning or has to come down, and writes the note your council or insurer wants.
Storm pruning and crown reduction
Reducing the sail and removing damaged limbs before the next front comes through.
Insurance paperwork
An itemised invoice, photos of the damage and the work, and an arborist's letter if your insurer or council asks for one.
Insurance, neighbours and councils
A healthy tree that came down in a storm is generally treated as an act of nature: each owner claims on their own policy, whoever's tree it was. If the tree was dead, damaged or known to be dangerous, its owner may be liable. Home policies often cover removing a tree that damaged the insured home, sometimes up to a limit, but rarely a tree that fell without damaging anything, and never preventive removal. A car hit by a tree goes on the car policy.
Street and park trees belong to the council. Fences between neighbours have their own rules under the Dividing Fences Act. The full who-pays guide →
Qualified arborists, not cowboys with a chainsaw
Storms bring out door-knockers with a chainsaw, a ute and no insurance. When a tree is on your roof, this is who you want up there instead.
- 22 years in business. Above All Tree Services has been a Sutherland Shire family business since 2004, now seven full-time staff plus casual crew, with cranes and elevated work platforms for the hardest jobs.
- Two AQF Level 5 consulting arborists. Wayne Back and Joshua Baber hold the Diploma-level qualification councils ask for when they want a "consulting arborist", and write arborist reports councils accept.
- Wayne teaches chainsaw operations at TAFE NSW part-time, and is a volunteer Deputy Captain and trainer with the NSW Rural Fire Service.
- Licensed for the dangerous bits: elevated work platforms over 11 m, Electrical Close Approach for work near service lines, and rail, ARTC and Sydney Airport inductions.
- $20 million public liability, $10 million professional indemnity and workers compensation. Ask any contractor for their certificate of currency; we'll hand you ours.
- A member of Arboriculture Australia, trusted by Bayside Council, strata managers and schools, and we call back almost as soon as your request comes in.
Questions people ask us
How quickly can you get here?
Call Wayne on 0412 708 072 and tell us what is down and what it is on. When a storm hits Sydney every tree service's phone rings at once, so we work through calls by danger: a tree on a house or blocking the only way out comes before a tree across a lawn. If your job isn't urgent we'll tell you honestly when we can get there, and how to keep it safe in the meantime.
How much does emergency tree removal cost?
More than planned work, because it happens on the tree's timetable and often needs a crane, an elevated work platform or traffic control. Every job is quoted on the spot; we give a fixed price before we start wherever we can, and an itemised invoice with photos for your insurer. See what drives the cost of tree removal on our main website.
Will my insurance pay for it?
Often, when the tree has damaged the insured home, sometimes up to a limit. A tree that fell without damaging anything is often not covered, and preventive removal never is. A car hit by a tree goes on the car policy. Photograph everything, call your insurer early and ask for their permission in writing before authorising work. More on our who pays page.
Do I need council approval to remove a tree that fell in a storm?
A tree that has already fallen, or is imminently dangerous, can generally be made safe straight away. Most councils ask you to keep evidence, such as photos and sometimes an arborist's note, and some want to be told within a set number of days. Your council's rules are here.
A council tree has fallen on my property. Who removes it?
Street and park trees are the council's. Report it to your council, or to the SES on 132 500 in a storm emergency. In the Sutherland Shire, council removes a fallen council tree up to your boundary. Don't cut a council tree yourself.
The tree is on a power line. Can you come now?
Not until the network has made it safe. Stay at least 8 m away, treat the line and the tree as live, and call Ausgrid (13 13 88) or Endeavour Energy (131 003). Our arborists hold Electrical Close Approach licences for work near service lines, but network lines are for the network and its contractors. See trees and power lines.
Can the SES remove the tree?
The SES makes things temporarily safe. Removal, stump grinding and permanent repairs are for your insurer and a contractor like us.
Where do you cover?
We're a Sutherland Shire business and work right across Sydney: the Shire, St George, the inner west and eastern suburbs, the north shore and northern beaches, the Hills and western Sydney. Our main website lists every suburb we cover.
Tree down? Call now.
Wayne and Alex answer the phones themselves. Tell us what is down and what it is on, and we'll tell you honestly when we can be there and what to do until then.