Rankin Park
Tree removal in Rankin Park
Tree removal, pruning and stump grinding in Rankin Park, beside the Landcare bush reserve and Blue Wren Creek.
Tree work in Rankin Park
A bush reserve on a council boundary
The Landcare reserve at Rankin Park straddles two councils, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie. Which council's rules cover a tree depends on which side of that line the block sits.
The reserve holds remnant bushland and Blue Wren Creek, a stream forming part of the upper Ironbark Creek catchment. Volunteers work to hold its banks against run-off and erosion, so roots near the water are doing a job.
Landcare volunteers have planted about 12,500 endemic trees, shrubs and grasses there, though none are yet old enough to carry nesting hollows.
Services in Rankin Park
Gardens beside the creek reserve
How it works
From the first message to a written quote
The council question is settled before any price, and nothing is booked until you have said yes to a quote in writing.
- 1
Tell us what the tree is doing
Where it stands, what it hangs over and what you would like done about it.
- 2
A contractor comes to see it
A tree contractor who covers your suburb looks at the tree, the access and what is underneath it.
- 3
The council question is answered
Your council, the tree's height and trunk, its distance from the house and the species decide whether a permit or an exemption applies.
- 4
You get it in writing
Scope, timber, stump and date on one page, and nothing is booked until you have said yes.
Rankin Park questions
Willows, natives and two sets of rules
What happened to the willows?
When the Landcare group formed, there were willow trees that were growing in the creek bed and drying it out. A willow in a private yard near the water is worth asking about too.
Does a tree on the Lake Macquarie side need an application?
It may. Lake Macquarie City Council says one may be required before pruning or removing a native tree or Araucaria pine species. Its owner has to identify if a tree is native before work starts.
What about the Newcastle side?
There, a tree equal to or greater than 3m in height is declared vegetation and needs a council permit unless an exemption applies.
