Council managed trees

Councils Urban Forest Technical Manual provides a range of operational process and technical details designed to retain trees where practical and provide for quality renewal where required.

Councils City Wide Maintenance Procedure informs the assessment of all public tree request and determination of works. 

Council will undertake pruning works on Private trees that pose a risk (or restrict access) to the public road including footways. Works are undertaken from public land with minimal pruning to ensure the tree or other vegetation is left in a healthy condition.

Private trees that pose a risk to the public and need to be removed will be managed through the Compliance process.

This table details tree maintenance works that may be undertaken on Council managed land see also the notes below this table. The risk matrix and other processes referred to in this table are built into Council tree management system.

Tree maintenance work that may be undertaken by Council

Pruning

Selective pruning for solar access to dwellings, or solar panels, where there is significant impediment of the solar access, and the severity and nature of the obstruction is such that the residents interest in having the obstruction removed, remedied or restrained outweighs any other matters (e.g. Hedges, multiple or grove tree plantings beside properties that completely prevent, or limit direct sunlight for more than 80% of the daylight hours.) NB: Does not apply to new solar installations or DA approvals, as these should consider existing trees prior to installation or approval.

Maintenance prune to remove dead, diseased, dying and /or defective branches that pose a High or Extreme risk as an output of Risk Matrix 2.

Selective pruning to remove branches substantially encroaching against, and /or hitting a dwelling, building or permanent structure.

Minor selective root pruning where trees are directly interacting with built assets or services (private and public) and the works will not have an adverse effect on tree health, stability, or useful life expectancy.

Crown lift pruning for pedestrian and vehicle access.

Pruning for visibility of designated road traffic signage and for vehicle sight lines.

Crown height reduction pruning - but only under exceptional circumstances involving the retention of a heritage tree, that has been identified as a significant hazard, and that hazard must be abated and there is no other suitable remedial option.

Removal

Removal of unsuitable young trees, planted on public land without Council consent, for reasons including inappropriate species, poor stock quality, or trees planted in an inappropriate location.

Removal of young to semi mature trees as a future risk mitigation and cost saving measure, where the trees are poor quality stock, poorly positioned, or structurally defective and will not become a fit for purpose asset.

Removal where the tree/s pose an obvious, or foreseeable, risk to human life or property due to tree defects, meeting either High or Extreme risk as an output of Matrix 2, and there is no suitable option to mitigate the risk. (Foreseeable = within next 12 Months)

Removal of trees as a result of a fully completed Inner West Council Public Tree Assessment Test.

Removal of trees adjacent to a tree being removed, or a failed tree, where the canopies were significantly interdependent, and that leaving the tree/s will create a high risk of limb, or whole tree, failure that is foreseeable and cannot be mitigated through reasonable means.

Removal of trees where it is demonstrated that tree roots are interacting with private infrastructure or built assets, including non-structural e.g., garden pathways, fences and the like, and the roots are deemed a nuisance by the resident, and where the tree root interaction cannot be mitigated through root pruning or other feasible means.

Removal of trees interacting with public infrastructure, or that have significantly restricted a public footway, so that it is no longer complaint and safe for all pedestrians regardless of mobility, and there are no other practical options to retain the tree. A tree assessment test may be required.

Note 1: Any works not listed in Table 1, are not undertaken by Council.

Note 2: Council will not remove or significantly prune trees because of normal fruit fall and leaf drop. Residents are encouraged to undertake home maintenance activities to reduce the impact of leaf and fruit fall.

Note 3: Pruning should be kept to a minimum and consider the health of the tree and the potential impact of pruning on tree health or stability (changed canopy dynamics).

Note 4: Tree works for powerline clearing or other utility maintenance is carried out by the relevant agencies as legislated. Council has no authority to act in these circumstances.

Note 5: Insulated Service wires to dwellings if within ISSC3 clearance, customer to be referred to Ausgrid. Outside of the clearance Council Tree Officer to assess as per normal tree inspection.

Council arborists undertake all tree management activities in accordance with Best Practice and contemporary, peer reviewed, Arboricultural literature. 

Council tree assessments consider both the tree, use of the space and surrounding context to determine an outcome.

Councils position is to retain trees wherever practical using suitable remedial options. 

Tree removal may be undertaken where the useability of the space is compromised, damage to infrastructure or structures, or risk to people or property cannot be mitigated through practical feasible options.