Tree Maintenance

HeroImage

Maintenance of Public Trees

Can I prune a public tree myself?

No - you should never attempt to prune or remove a public tree yourself (which includes hiring a contractor to do the work on your behalf). The NSW Local Government Act 1993 makes it an offence to interfere with a plant in a public place.

We are responsible for the maintenance of all public trees. If you think a public tree needs maintenance you can make a request by calling us on 4974 2000 or complete an online customer request form. One of our qualified Arborists will assess the tree to determine the need for maintenance and will assign work if required.

Work we can assess to do

  • Pruning for pedestrian or vehicular clearance where it's not detrimental to the tree.
  • Maintenance pruning to remove dead, diseased or dying branches.
  • Selective pruning to provide adequate clearance to buildings.
  • Root pruning to abate root interaction with principal infrastructure.
  • Pruning for vehicle sight lines, road signage and Transport NSW requirements.
  • Removal of damaged or diseased trees.
  • Emergency works related to storms.
  • Removal of trees interacting with principal infrastructure where all engineering solutions have been considered.

Work we won't consent to

  • Pruning of trees contrary to Australian Standard AS4373.
  • Pruning for height or size reduction.
  • Pruning for occurrences such as the natural shedding of leaves, flowers, fruit, seed pods, bark or twigs.
  • Pruning to prevent overshadowing or to provide solar access.
  • Pruning of overhanging branches back to boundary or fence lines.
  • Pruning or removal of trees to prevent sap drop, bird or bat droppings.
  • Removal of trees interacting with non-structural built assets (e.g. garden pathways, fences and the like).
  • Removal of trees or the application of pesticide to control termites.
  • Pruning of trees to provide visibility of commercial signage or to provide access to views.
  • Pruning or removal of trees that are claimed to be causing allergies.
  • Removal of healthy, structurally sound trees.
  • Removal and replacement of healthy trees due to resident’s preference for an alternative species.

Did you know?

Pruning of a tree creates a physical wound which can allow the ingress of pathogens, making it susceptible to disease and decay. Pruning can also stimulate regrowth throughout the canopy, potentially creating even greater amounts of fruit, seed pods, leaves and other debris. In addition, pruning limbs can affect a tree’s form, structure and stability and could put it at risk of failure. For this and many other reasons, pruning of public trees is minimised or avoided where possible and this is also in accordance with Australian Standard AS4373 (Pruning of Amenity Trees).

Trees and Footpaths

If a tree appears to be causing damage to a footpath you should report the matter by calling us on 4974 2000 or complete an online customer request form. We will investigate whether changes to the footpath require intervention at this point in time. If it is deemed that repair work is required, we will try to find a way to repair the footpath in a manner that does not disturb the tree.