Brent Hocking, Board Certified Master Arborist
Consulting arborist for developers, architects and property owners in Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington and Hamilton.
From the canopy, not a desk
I came to consulting from the canopy. I’m one of fewer than 40 Board Certified Master Arborists in Ontario, which puts me in the top 2% of arborists globally.
Credentials establish trust. Field experience is what backs it up.
I spent seven years in tree care operations: climbing hazard trees, running and training crews, and working around energized lines as a licensed utility arborist. I’ve been in the canopy when my assessment mattered most, not for a report but for my own safety. I’ve swayed with trees, read their body language and made decisions in real time. And I’ve dealt with the consequences when things went wrong.
Why the field work matters
Consulting works when the person doing it has done the work. I came to the consulting side already understanding what I was looking at, because the trees had spent years teaching me things no classroom could.
I know what a report that holds up looks like because I’ve written them, and I’ve been the one on site carrying out what they specify. I know what fails on a tree under load because I’ve been up there when it mattered.
More projects pencil out under Ontario’s new housing incentives. The tree bylaws haven’t changed, and the arborist is still the first call on a lot with trees. What the incentives mean for your project.
Whether you’re a homeowner trying to understand what’s happening with a tree you love, a developer who needs the arboricultural side handled without surprises, or a designer working around a constrained site, the approach is the same: show up, look carefully, and make sure you’re never left guessing.
Credentials
Each one links to the issuing body’s record, so you can check it yourself.
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist#ON-2667BVerify this credential (opens in a new tab)
ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ)Verify this credential (opens in a new tab)
444B Journeyman Utility Arborist#413696573Verify this credential (opens in a new tab)
Butternut Health Assessment, Qualified ProfessionalVerify this credential (opens in a new tab)
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist #ON-2667B
The BCMA is the highest credential in arboriculture. It requires demonstrated mastery of tree biology, risk assessment, preservation, management and advanced practice, tested by an examination covering soil science, plant physiology, pathology and professional standards.
I earned my ISA Certified Arborist certification in December 2020 and my BCMA in November 2025, after five more years of field work, professional development and exam preparation.
Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ)
TRAQ is ISA’s standard method for evaluating tree risk, and it produces the kind of documentation that municipalities, insurers and courts accept.
The method means more when you’ve spent years trusting your own read of a tree with your life. My risk assessments draw on storm damage, failure analysis and years of seeing how trees actually behave under load: the real forces on them, the real mass of their structure, and which conditions warrant concern and which can be left alone. About tree risk assessment.
444B Journeyman Utility Arborist #413696573
A provincially recognized trade certification through Skilled Trades Ontario, earned after a four-year apprenticeship and a journeyman exam. My background in high-voltage line clearance goes well beyond the field exposure of most consulting arborists.
Butternut Health Assessment, Qualified Professional
Trained through the Forest Gene Conservation Association to identify and assess Butternut, an endangered native tree in Ontario. Projects that may affect a Butternut need this assessment before work begins.
Memberships and insurance
Active member of the International Society of Arboriculture, Ontario Chapter, keeping up continuing education through professional development, peer networks and industry events.
$2,000,000 in Professional Liability (Errors and Omissions) and $2,000,000 in Commercial General Liability coverage, for projects that require proof of insurance.
Let’s work together
Whether you are in early planning or facing an urgent permit requirement, I reply within one business day.