FAQs about trees
Shrubs are all plants less than 3m high. You can trim, prune or remove shrubs on your property. Keep in mind that dense shrubs are often home to small birds, so avoid pruning in peak breeding season so you don't disrupt their nests.
Trees are all plants more than 3m high. If your property is in a Tree Preservation Area, you need permission to prune, remove or otherwise alter trees.
If you are in a Tree Preservation Area you can't cut down any tree, regardless of species, over 3m without planning approval. This is the same for pruning trees in these areas.
Lopping does not make a tree safe, it makes them much more dangerous. Simply removing the ends of tall branches does not make these trees safer and in fact can make them more prone to future limb failure. Lopping of eucalypts encourages the development of epicormic growths which are more poorly attached and more likely to peel away and fall than those branches which form as the tree is allowed to develop naturally. This regrowth must then be trimmed every three to four years to prevent limb failure, significantly increasing the costs associated with tree maintenance. In some circumstances, trees which have been lopped or pruned poorly in the past are no longer able to be retained safely and are best removed. If you feel that a tree is unsafe or requires pruning, please consult a qualified arboriculturalist (not a tree lopping company) and ask them to recommend what works should be undertaken. If the tree is deemed unsafe or in need of remedial pruning, please contact the City’s Environmental Services Team, to determine if these works are exempt or require a planning approval before being undertaken.
Native trees do not only absorb carbon dioxide and potentially harmful gasses and release oxygen, but one large tree can supply a day's supply of oxygen for four people, in addition to also providing food and habitat for our local wildlife. Many of these local wildlife depend on mature, hollow-bearing trees for their very survival. These trees can take many decades to form and cannot be replaced once cut down, hence the City’s collaboration with residents to keep as many of these invaluable tree assets as possible.
