Active Tree Services

What Active Tree Services does

Active Tree Services is Australia's largest vegetation management company, founded in 1975 by the Willcocks family and remaining 100% Australian owned. The company employs approximately 1,000 FTE across operations in all seven Australian states and territories, delivering arboriculture, vegetation management, and consultancy services to power utilities, local councils, civil/road/rail authorities, and residential customers.

Its core technology platform is "Active Mobile" (AM), a proprietary GIS-enabled works management system developed in-house over 12 years and currently in its sixth software iteration. AM supports end-to-end electronic distribution of works, GPS and field crew integration, real-time operational data, and business intelligence. Execution is supported by a specialized equipment fleet including Magni Telescopic Handlers (30m vertical reach), Tigercat Mulchers, Jarraff Tree Trimmers, purpose-built Elevated Work Platforms (EWPs) with insulation certification for powerline work, and chippers. The founder also invented the Bushi remote-controlled boom saw in 2011. Sister company Aerial Access provides EWP distribution and fleet maintenance from the company's Bayswater, VIC depot, and subsidiary Active Green Services extends the platform into environmental consulting (urban greening, bushfire mitigation, habitat assessment).

The business model is enterprise-led: long-term managed services contracts with major Australian power utilities (Transgrid, Essential Energy, Ausgrid, Evoenergy, AusNet, SA Power Networks, TasNetworks) covering over 1 million powerline spans, plus contracts with 40+ local councils for vegetation management and arboriculture. Additional revenue streams include professional services in arboriculture and consultancy (impact assessments, tree management plans, environmental impact assessments), civil project and infrastructure work, bushfire mitigation programs, and small-scale quote-based residential arborist services in NSW and SA via web quotation portals. The company is carbon neutral certified (Scope 1, 2, and 3), donates 10% of profits to charitable causes via the ATS Charitable Trust, and has established operations offices co-located with major clients (e.g., dedicated offices for Ausgrid in Morisset, Evoenergy in Queanbeyan, and City of Sydney Council in Waterloo).

Name

Active Tree Services

Legal name

Active Tree Services

Website

https://activetreeservices.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Active Tree Services is Australia's largest 100% Australian-owned vegetation management company, employing ~1,000 FTE across all seven states and territories to deliver arboriculture, vegetation management, and consultancy services to power utilities (over 1 million spans), 40+ councils, and civil/road/rail clients via long-term contracts and its proprietary Active Mobile GIS platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vegetation Management Services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Utility Line Clearance & Vegetation Management (HSAIADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tree Pruning & Crown Management (HSAIADAA), Emergency Storm Damage Response & Hazard Mitigation (HSAIADAG), Tree Care & Arborist Services (BPABADAD), Tree Care & Arborist Services (IMAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Vegetation management services
• Arboriculture services
• Powerline clearance services
• Bushfire mitigation services
• Urban forestry consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vegetation Management Services: Ongoing cyclic and reactive vegetation management services for power utilities ensuring outage and bushfire risk mitigation. Long-term contracts covering millions of powerline spans nationally.
2. Arboriculture Services: Tree planting, establishment, pruning, removal, watering, formative pruning, urban forestry, tree management and maintenance, habitat creation, tree inspection and assessment, chipping and mulching, veteran/significant tree management.
3. Consultancy and Systems: Urban greening planning, preliminary tree assessments, arboricultural impact assessments, tree management plans, tree protection, project arborist services, tree risk assessment, flora and fauna assessment, environmental impact assessment, and vegetation management systems consulting.
4. Bushfire Mitigation: Bushfire mitigation programs reducing risk to personal safety, public and private property through assessment, establishment and maintenance services.
5. Civil Projects and Infrastructure: Arboriculture and related services for road and rail authorities, major civil projects, and facilities management providers including strategy, tender submissions, assessment, reporting, project works and maintenance.
6. Residential Arborist Services: Health and safety inspections, tree pruning, tree removals for residential customers in NSW and SA metropolitan areas. Quote-based service requiring upfront payment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Active Tree Services provides contracted vegetation management, arboriculture, bushfire mitigation, and consultancy services to power utilities, local councils, and road/rail authorities across Australia. The company delivers full-lifecycle tree management including planting, pruning, removal, risk assessment, urban greening planning, and vegetation clearance around powerlines, supported by proprietary GIS-enabled works management software (Active Mobile) and a specialized in-house equipment fleet of Magni telescopic handlers, Tigercat mulchers, Jarraff tree trimmers, EWPs, and chippers. It also serves residential customers in greater Sydney, NSW Central Coast, and Adelaide with quote-based arborist services.

Product overview

Active Tree Services offers a comprehensive vegetation management platform centered around its proprietary Active Mobile GIS-enabled works management system, complemented by specialized arboriculture, vegetation management, and consultancy services. The company's equipment portfolio includes Magni Telescopic Handlers, Tigercat Mulchers, Jarraff Tree Trimmers, Elevated Work Platforms (EWPs), and Chippers—all operated by trained and accredited personnel. The services span the full lifecycle of tree management including planting, pruning, removal, bushfire mitigation, and urban greening planning. Active also operates through its sister company Aerial Access as Australia's foremost distributor of elevated work platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Active Green Services: Environmental consulting and sustainability services including urban greening, bushfire mitigation, tree management, habitat, erosion, water and air quality.
• Active Mobile
• Aerial Access

Products and services

• Vegetation Management Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million powerline spans managed nationally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aerial AccesscoreOthersSister company of Active Tree Services and Australia's foremost distributor of elevated work platforms. Aerial Access provides EWPs, fleet management services, and assembly/maintenance support for Active's equipment operations. Based at Active's Bayswater depot.
• PrintreleafminorOthersThrough Printreleaf, Active plants trees to replace the paper used in business operations, supporting environmental sustainability initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Davey Tree Expert Company: Major North American provider of utility line clearance, commercial and residential arboriculture, and consulting. Directly comparable to Active in service mix (utility vegetation management plus residential arborist work) and customer profile (electric utilities and municipalities).
• Lewis Tree Service: Large US utility vegetation management contractor serving investor-owned and cooperative utilities. Direct comparable on service line, customer type, and scale-driven operating model.
• SavATree: US-based arboriculture and vegetation management firm serving residential, commercial, and utility customers. Comparable across arboriculture consulting, tree health care, and proactive pruning services.
• Wright Tree Service: US-based vegetation management company focused on utility right-of-way clearing for electric cooperatives, IOUs, and municipalities. Comparable in mission (utility vegetation management), customer type, and reliance on specialized equipment fleets.
• Asplundh Tree Expert: US-headquartered utility vegetation management specialist and the global category leader. Closest international analogue to Active — provides pruning, removal, and right-of-way clearing for power utilities with proprietary work-management systems and a large specialized fleet.

Others

• Magni Telescopic Handlers (manufacturer): Italian manufacturer of the telescopic handlers Active imports and operates. Enabler/equipment supplier relationship rather than competitor — illustrates the type of strategic supply relationship Active maintains for its differentiated fleet.

Broad incumbents

• Cleanaway Waste Management: ASX-listed Australian environmental and waste services company. Adjacent in environmental services and large-scale infrastructure contracts with government and utilities, though core focus is waste rather than vegetation.
• Downer Group: ASX-listed Australian infrastructure services company with utilities, transport, and vegetation management operations. Overlaps with Active on utility vegetation management but operates at vastly greater scale across many other service lines.
• Spotless Group: Large Australian facilities and infrastructure services provider (owned by APA Group/UniSuper) with capability in grounds maintenance and arboriculture for government and utility clients. Broader incumbent in the same overall services-to-utilities space.
• Ventia Utility Services: Australian infrastructure services provider (private equity-backed via Apollo) operating across utilities, transport, and facilities management. Provides vegetation management and arboriculture within a broader portfolio — directly comparable on utility vegetation services but with a much wider scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/activetreesvcs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/active-tree-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Active Tree Services