Pre-purchase · CTLA appraisal · Construction · Expert reports
Independent arboricultural consulting. Pre-purchase inspections. CTLA tree appraisals. Construction protection plans. Expert reports for litigation, insurance, and planning approvals. Answers, not a quote.
A consulting arborist is independent of tree-care work. We don’t make money from the recommendations we write. The fee is for the assessment, the research, and the report — not for the saw.
That independence matters. If the arborist gets paid by what they remove, they remove more. The consulting arborist relationship removes that incentive.
Tree Awareness consulting work covers pre-purchase real estate inspections, CTLA tree appraisals (insurance / litigation), construction tree protection plans, expert witness reports, and HOA and planning-board consulting.
Whether the client is a homeowner, attorney, insurance adjuster, builder, HOA, or municipality — the work product is the same: a written report with reasoning that holds up.
Real estate buyers: before you close, get a written report on the trees on the property. Defect identification, structural assessment, projected maintenance / removal costs over the next 10 years.
Insurance claims, litigation, eminent domain: CTLA Trunk Formula appraisal produces the dollar value of a tree using the recognized industry methodology. Written, defensible, court-ready.
Building on a property with mature trees? We write the tree protection plan: critical root zone delineation, fencing requirements, soil amendments, post-construction monitoring.
Neighbor disputes, encroachment claims, storm-damage liability, insurance disputes. Written expert reports with photographs, credentials, and deposition / testimony availability.
Consulting work is documentation work. The deliverable is always a written report.
Define the question, the timeline, the documentation required.
On-site evaluation. Photographs, measurements, defect notes.
Property records, prior reports, regulatory framework, peer literature.
Findings, methodology, photographs, conclusions, signatures, credentials.
Deposition, court appearance, planning board presentation if needed.
Real properties, real reports, real outcomes.
A Dawn Redwood with a 10-foot canopy fissure. The homeowner wanted to keep it. The aerial inspection produced the data that supported the removal recommendation.
Aerial Inspection · Tree Awareness
Sometimes the data supports keeping a tree. Sometimes it supports removal. The consulting arborist’s job is to deliver the right answer based on what the data shows — not what the client wants to hear.
On this Dawn Redwood, the canopy fissure was beyond what cabling and reduction could safely support. Aerial inspection confirmed the structural condition. Removal was the recommendation.
A different tree on a different property might support the opposite call. The methodology produces both answers.
See the case study →A consulting arborist is independent. Many tree services blur this line.
Consulting arborist work across 88 municipalities in Gloucester, Camden, Salem, and Cumberland counties. Available for matters in adjacent NJ and PA jurisdictions on a case-by-case basis.
A consulting arborist provides independent professional advice on trees and their care, but is not in the business of selling tree work. The deliverable is information — usually a written report. Common matters: tree appraisals, real estate inspections, construction protection plans, litigation support, expert testimony.
You need a consulting arborist when you need information, not work: pre-purchase inspections, insurance claims, litigation, planning approvals, neighbor disputes, construction protection plans. Regular tree services are for performing the recommended work after the assessment is done.
Yes. Consulting fees and written reports are billed separately from any tree-care work. We can perform the recommended work afterward if the client wants — but the recommendation is made first, in writing, before any work is quoted.
CTLA is the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers. The CTLA Trunk Formula method is the recognized industry standard for monetary appraisal of trees. It accounts for size, species, condition, and location to produce a defensible dollar value — used in insurance claims, litigation, and eminent domain.
Yes. Paul Biester (NJ LTE #408, ISA Member, TRAQ-qualified) is available for deposition and trial testimony in the South Jersey region. Standard expert witness rates apply. We can also work directly with attorneys on case strategy.
Simple single-tree reports: 5–10 business days after the site visit. Complex reports involving research, appraisal calculations, multi-property analysis, or expert witness preparation: 2–4 weeks. Rush turnarounds available at a premium.
Yes. Current general liability, workers’ compensation, and professional errors-and-omissions coverage. Certificates available on request.
Most pre-purchase inspections and single-tree assessments fall in the $300–$1,200 range. CTLA appraisals, construction protection plans, and litigation reports are quoted by scope. Expert witness work is billed hourly.
Aerial inspections, complex assessments, decision-grade reports.
Pre-purchase inspections, tree appraisals, expert reports, litigation support. Initial consultation is free.
