About Us
Dag Willems, a professional forest ecologist and arborist (BSc Forestry US) with more than 25 years of experience in trees, founded Trees South Africa in 2000.
Dag spent the first years of his career as a forest ecologist and eventually as the regional manager of indigenous forests for the Western Cape region, Department of Forestry. During his tenure he also co-authored a number of internationally published scientific papers on the development of a sustainable harvesting system for the Knysna and Tsitsikamma indigenous forests.
In recent years Dag has begun to focus far more on the science of ornamental trees occurring in the most unnatural (urban and semi-urban) of environments. He consults for a wide range of organisations, including various universities, Cape Town City Council and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
He has steered Trees South Africa to become the leader in the field of relocation of large and mature trees and pioneered processes to grow trees and ensure they flourish. In so doing, Trees South Africa has become the first to elevate this discipline to a professional level in South Africa. The company now specialises in arboriculture consulting, the production and planting of large specimen trees ranging in many sizes (from 2.5m tall to over 14m), and the relocation of large trees. Our tree nurseries cover over 20 hectares with over 60 000 trees.
Dag’s can-do spirit is well ingrained in all who work at Trees South Africa too. The company has developed unique techniques and specialised equipment, designed from the ground up, specifically for these unique tasks. This, combined with expert knowledge of South African species and conditions, has resulted in successfully implemented projects for South Africa never before thought possible.
Trees South Africa is a member of the International Society for Arboriculture (ISA) and operates according to standards set by the society; the South African Landscaping Institute (SALI) and has been awarded as their Supplier Of The Year for 2011; and is also a member of the Cape Green Forum.
We’re well and truly the mature tree expert.