Public alert: Dodgy tree loppers targeting elderly Victorians

A tree expert has issued a public warning about dodgy loppers scamming Victorians and cutting down healthy trees.

Doctor of Botany at Melbourne University, and chair of the National Trust of Victoria’s register of significant trees, Dr Greg Moore, says scammers are door-knocking elderly home owners and pressuring them to have work done on trees.

He says poor lopping of healthy trees can actually make them more dangerous, and unnecessary tree removal may take up to $15,000 of the value of a property.

“There are people that aren’t qualified or trained and they’re not all villains by the way. Some of them don’t know what they don’t know,” Dr Moore told Neil Mitchell.

“A good arborist will never lop a tree, they’ll prune a tree — there’s a big difference.”

Dr Moore says anyone hiring someone for tree work should ask for their qualifications in arborioculture (he suggests never hiring anyone who doesn’t have at least a certificate Level 4), and check they have significant public liability insurance cover (at least $10 million).

Press PLAY below to hear more about the signs of an unhealthy tree + how to choose an arborist