In short
Arbour Advisory is a chartered accounting firm built for the tree trade. Founded by George Morice, CA, we handle the tax, books and numbers for arborists, tree loppers and tree-care businesses across Australia, so you can stay on the tools and run a profitable operation.
We work with Gold Coast tree businesses every day, from sole-trader climbers to multi-crew outfits running chippers and EWPs. It’s all done remotely, so you get a specialist accountant without driving to an office. Book a free consultation →
An arborist accountant who actually knows the Gold Coast tree trade
Tree work on the Gold Coast is its own business. You’re dealing with subtropical growth that never really stops, big removals through the hinterland and Tweed, and a storm season that can flip your year in a single weekend. When an east-coast low or a cyclone band comes through, the phone runs hot for weeks and the cash flow swings hard. A general suburban accountant who mostly does cafés and tradies rarely understands why your revenue spikes after a storm, why you carry so much plant, or how to treat a half-finished removal at year end.
That’s the gap Arbour Advisory fills. We’re an arborist accountant and nothing else, so we already speak the language of climbing gear, traffic management, green-waste tipping fees and the difference between a stump-grind job and a full takedown. You shouldn’t have to explain your own trade to the person doing your tax.
Why a tree business needs a specialist accountant
Tree care is plant-heavy and weather-driven, which makes it harder to account for than most trades. You’ve got expensive gear that wears fast: chippers, stump grinders, EWPs, tipper trucks, climbing kit and chainsaws. How you finance and depreciate that equipment has a real effect on your tax and your borrowing capacity. Get it wrong and you either overpay tax or end up with a balance sheet that scares the bank when you go to upgrade.
Then there’s the lumpy income. A big council contract or a run of storm clean-ups can land a fat month, followed by a quiet stretch when the rain sets in. Without a plan, that’s where GST and PAYG bills sneak up on you. A specialist sets aside for tax properly, smooths the BAS cycle, and helps you read which jobs and which crews actually make money once fuel, tip fees and downtime are counted.
What Arbour Advisory does for Gold Coast tree-care businesses
We cover the full back office so you can quote, climb and bill without the paperwork piling up. That means income tax returns for sole traders, partnerships, companies and trusts; BAS and GST lodgements; day-to-day bookkeeping kept current rather than crammed in at year end; and payroll for your crew, including superannuation and the awards that apply to ground staff and climbers.
Beyond compliance, we help with the parts that grow the business. We advise on equipment finance and leasing so you can put on another chipper or EWP without choking cash flow, and we set up job costing so you can see margin per job, per crew and per truck. If you’re thinking about taking on staff, buying a competitor’s run, or moving from sole trader to a company structure, that’s a conversation worth having before you commit, not after.
Local to the Gold Coast, working remotely Australia-wide
We know the Gold Coast patch, from Coomera and Nerang down to Coolangatta and across the border into the Tweed, plus the hinterland blocks where the big trees and the long driveways are. You don’t need to come to an office. Everything runs through cloud accounting, email and phone, so we can look at your numbers together whether you’re parked at a job site in Robina or sitting in the ute between removals.
Because we work this way, the same setup serves tree businesses right across Australia, not just South East Queensland. You get a chartered accountant who knows the trade, without being tied to where the office happens to sit. If you want to see whether it’s a fit, book a free consultation and we’ll walk through your situation with no obligation.
Do you only work with Gold Coast tree businesses?
No. We’re set up to work remotely, so while we know the Gold Coast, Tweed and hinterland well, we look after arborists and tree-care businesses right across Australia. The service is the same wherever you’re based.
I’m a sole-trader arborist, not a big company. Are you only for larger outfits?
Not at all. We work with everyone from solo climbers and one-ute operators through to multi-crew businesses running several trucks and EWPs. The advice scales to where you’re at.
Can you help me finance a new chipper or EWP?
Yes. We advise on equipment finance and leasing options and how each one affects your tax, cash flow and borrowing capacity, so you can add gear without putting the business under strain. We work alongside your finance broker or lender where needed.
Do you handle BAS, payroll and bookkeeping, or just the annual tax return?
The full lot. We can take on your BAS and GST, day-to-day bookkeeping, payroll and super for your crew, plus the annual returns. You can use as much or as little of that as suits you.
How do I get started?
Book a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll talk through your business, what you need, and how we can help, then you decide if it’s a fit.
Spend more time on the tools, less on the books
Talk to an accountant who already knows the tree trade and your Gold Coast patch.
More for tree-care businesses: Arborist accountant · Outsourced finance function · Arborist tax deductions