From the lake to the bay
Tree pruning and trimming in Newcastle
Light, regular pruning is what lets a big gum stay beside the house: the dead wood comes out, the roof is cleared and the crown is opened before the next east coast low.
Pruning and trimming
Four kinds of cut
Clearing dead wood
Dead and snapped branches taken out of the crown before they come down on their own.
Lifting off the roof
Branches over the roof and the gutters cut back, so leaves and limbs stop landing where they block a downpipe or crack a tile.
Thinning the crown
A few branches removed right back to where they start, so the canopy lets wind and light through without changing its shape.
Shortening a heavy limb
A long limb reaching over the house cut back to a side branch, so the weight comes off without leaving a stub to rot.
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.
Pruning questions
Permits, boundaries and timing
Does pruning need a permit in Newcastle?
Not when it is pruning rather than clearing, follows the Australian Standard and is done by someone with training to AQF level 3 in arboriculture. Heavier work counts as clearing and needs the permit.
Can I cut back my neighbour's branches in Lake Macquarie?
To the boundary, as long as the pruning does not exceed 10% of the tree canopy for a native tree. The council says the offcuts are green waste and go in the green bin, not back over the fence.
When is the best time to prune?
Weight reduction is worth doing before the summer storms. Most other pruning suits any time of year.
