AS 2303 PART 4. HOW TO SECURE CONFORMING TREES

AS 2303:2018 Tree stock for landscape use – Who grows conforming trees?

The Australian standard for trees (AS 2303:2018) should be applied to tree stock for your projects.

All our major tree growers are capable of growing conforming trees.  But there is no externally audited accreditation scheme available in Australia that can be applied as a guarantee that all trees grown by any given grower conform to the new standard.  For more than 20 years Trees Impact has been working under an externally audited Quality Management System, linked to the NATSPEC specification for trees, and now AS2303:2018, so we will come close.  However, until such an external auditing system exists, if it can ever exist, it will fall on the buyers to do the detective work themselves.

So, how to go about it?

If not already familiar with our tree growers, visit their nurseries and check their general production stock against AS 2303 and shortlist potential suppliers.  Assess all criteria listed.  However, we suggest you pay particular attention to the following criteria from the standard: Self-supporting, Stem taper, clean stem height (part of Formative pruning), Height of root crown, Root direction (all aspects of this criterion) and Tree stock balance.

Next, adopt AS 2303:2018 as your required standard, make sure that your short-listed suppliers know that this is the standard required and then implement an inspection program to ensure that the trees supplied do in fact conform to that standard.  If not confident in that regard, engage a consultant arborist who is conversant with the standard to conduct that program for you.