Tree Removal Hills Shire

The Hills Shire Council requires consent to remove a tree that is not exempt from its tree controls. Council also requires consent to prune a tree by more than 10%, or to substantially alter the soil level within 3 metres surrounding the tree's trunk.

What size tree is protected? Council's Tree Management Guidelines define a tree using measurements that include canopy spread greater than 3 metres OR height greater than 6 metres OR trunk diameter greater than 300mm measured at the base. The word OR is important. A tree doesn't need to exceed all three measurements to be covered.

Is a Tree Within 5 Metres of My House Exempt?

Council's Tree Management Guidelines provide an exemption for qualifying trees located within 5 metres of an existing approved dwelling or ancillary structure, subject to the conditions of the exemption and other applicable controls.

Before relying on the exemption, establish the actual distance, whether the structure is existing and approved, whether the tree is otherwise excluded, and whether environmental or biodiversity controls apply.

Are Some Tree Species Exempt?

Yes. The Hills Shire Council maintains exemptions for particular tree species and vegetation. Council also states that consent is not required to remove a priority weed or a tree grown for its fruit, subject to applicable requirements. Correct tree identification is important.

What If My Tree Is Dangerous?

Tree risk is an important reason owners seek removal, but a tree is not necessarily dangerous simply because it is large, leans, moves during strong winds, drops branches, contains deadwood or is close to a building.

Council's assessment criteria consider matters such as likelihood of failure, previous branch failure, size of a defective component, occupancy of the potential impact area, and the relationship between large trees and habitable dwellings. An AQF Level 5 arboricultural assessment can provide professional evidence.

What About Trees Over 15 Metres Near a House?

Council's guidelines recognise circumstances where a tree exceeds 15 metres in height and is within the strike zone of a habitable dwelling as a factor when determining a tree application. This does not mean every tree over 15 metres can automatically be removed.

An assessment can document height, distance from the dwelling, potential strike zone, structural condition, defects, likelihood and consequences of failure, and management options.

Not every Hills Shire tree-removal application automatically requires an AQF Level 5 report.

Professional evidence can be particularly valuable where removal is sought because of tree risk, structural defects, decay, declining health, previous failure, instability, root damage, conflict with infrastructure, unusual condition, a large tree near a dwelling, or development impacts.

Our AQF Level 5 Consulting Arborists assess the tree and prepare professional Council-ready evidence where required.

Depending on circumstances, assessment can address:

Once any necessary Council approval has been obtained, tree removal can be undertaken in accordance with the approval and any conditions imposed by Council.

Where an exemption applies: confirm the exemption, check the conditions, then tree removal is permitted.

Professional arboricultural evidence can document whether the tree is dead or declining, structural deterioration, significant defects, likelihood of tree or branch failure, potential targets and consequences, and whether pruning, monitoring or removal is appropriate.

Photographs alone do not always establish the condition or level of risk.

Where roots are suspected of affecting foundations, driveways, retaining walls, paving, drainage, sewer infrastructure or proposed construction, the relationship should be investigated.

Our arborists can undertake non-destructive root investigation and mapping where appropriate to identify root location, diameter, direction, relationship to structures, TPZ/SRZ implications and possible alternatives to removal.

Tree removal associated with a Development Application follows a different pathway from an ordinary private-tree application.

Our AQF Level 5 Consulting Arborists prepare Development Arborist Reports, Arboricultural Impact Assessments (AIAs), Tree Surveys, Tree Protection Zone and Structural Root Zone assessments, Tree Protection Plans, root investigations, construction impact assessments and Project Arborist documentation.

There is an important difference between physically removing a tree and professionally assessing whether removal is arboriculturally justified.

An AQF Level 5 Consulting Arborist can assess tree health, structural condition, risk, defects and decay, root problems, retention value, development impacts and management options. Hills Shire Tree Permit Services provides access to Arbor Express's 32+ years of arboricultural experience.