About Us
Victorian arborists, ecologists, and bushfire consultants with offices in Brunswick and Kalorama. 30+ years’ combined experience working across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Founded in 2015 by James Berrell and Sonya Fleming, Baxter Ecology is an independent arboriculture, ecology, and bushfire consultancy based in Melbourne, Australia. We started Baxter Ecology to preserve the beautiful Victorian landscape, educate our community, and foster positive development outcomes.
Too often, we have come across projects requiring arborist reports, native vegetation assessments, and bushfire reports, causing planners and homeowners to engage three different companies — inevitably receiving conflicting advice and duplicated work. We have bridged this gap, ensuring all three requirements are managed by one integrated team. The result is clearer reports with consistent data, faster approvals, and better value.
Since our establishment, our approach has been built on science and best practice Australian Standards. We stay current with tree protection codes, native vegetation regulations, and bushfire standards. As an independent consultancy that does not undertake tree removal, our reports are based on what your property needs — not on driving future removal work. You get honest advice grounded in your interests, not ours.
Serving greater Melbourne and Victoria, we work with homeowners, developers, councils, and planning professionals navigating trees, native vegetation, and bushfire requirements. Whether managing heritage trees, securing development approvals, or assessing bushfire risk, Baxter Ecology combines deep local expertise with genuine independence.
Meet the Team
James Berrell
Director | Arborist | Bushfire Specialist | Ecologist
AQF Level 9 Arborist
MSc Forest Ecology (ANU)
GDip Education (NMIT)
GDip Planning and Bushfire (UoM)
BSc Environmental Management (ANU)
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James co-founded Baxter Ecology in 2015. James has over 25 years of experience working across arboriculture, bushfire, and ecology, in both practical and planning contexts.
Beginning his career as a horticulturist, landscaper, and climbing arborist, he has built on his experience with tertiary qualifications that underpin his roles as business director, educator, and consultant.
James has represented clients at the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), worked in construction and surveillance roles, delivered education at the diploma level in arboriculture and horticulture, and provided policy training across government, education, and the business sector.
James excels at client engagement, cross-disciplinary collaboration, navigating conflicts, and finding practical resolutions to complex problems.
Sonya Fleming
Director | Arborist | Spatial Data Analyst (GIS)
AQF Level 8 Arborist
GCert Arboriculture (UoM)
GIS for Planning and Design (UoM)
AAS Applied Science (SCU)
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Sonya co-founded Baxter Ecology in 2015. Sonya brings over 20 years of experience working across planning, community development, and arboriculture.
Beginning her career as a program coordinator in East Timor where she spearheaded environmental and community development projects, she has gone on to work across non-government, government, and private sectors.
Sonya excels at spatial data analysis, project management, and developing innovative tree protection solutions. She is highly skilled at building strong client relationships and managing competing project demands with clarity and efficiency.
Dr Leanne Greenwood
Bushfire Specialist | Ecologist | Spatial Data Analyst (GIS)
PhD Fire Ecology and Cross-cultural Indigenous Knowledge Research (CSU)
BSc Environmental Science with Honours in Ecological Monitoring (Deakin)
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Leanne joined Baxter Ecology in 2024 and holds a concurrent post-doctoral research position with the University of Melbourne.
She brings over ten years of experience in planning, bushfire, and ecology, with a background spanning on-ground conservation, community building, and environmental science.
Leanne has worked in diverse and complex stakeholder environments, including with Indigenous communities such as DJAARA, state government departments, and university research teams.
A skilled science communicator, relationship builder, and data analyst, she is driven by a deep passion for fire ecology and brings strong GIS capabilities and a cross-disciplinary approach to every project.
Isaac Willis
Project Administrator | IT Specialist
BMus Music and Production (AIM)
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Isaac joined Baxter Ecology in 2025, bringing over four years of experience managing complex projects across diverse fields.
Before moving into project management, he spent three years in music production, spearheading his own musical projects and collaborating with other artists, developing a strong instinct for creative problem solving and coordinating moving parts under pressure.
His background in music production goes beyond creativity — working in digital audio production built genuine IT fluency, from managing complex software environments to precise data and file workflows. Those same technical instincts carried him into a senior management role overseeing a large Australia-wide team through a major technological restructure within state justice systems.
Isaac's ability to rapidly adopt new systems, troubleshoot under pressure, and keep multi-stakeholder projects on track makes him a strong asset to the team. His creative problem solving, high-level IT capabilities and organisation allows for smooth management of projects.
Zephyr
Chief Morale Officer
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One-year-old Groodle with a passion for mud. He has not solved a single business problem, but morale has never been higher. He is always the most enthusiastic one in the room. Photo by Molly Patton.