Tree pruning in Canberra: what's local
The 100 mm line
City Services defines major pruning as removing branches greater than 100 mm in diameter. On a protected tree that needs approval, and so does lopping. Branch thickness is the number to ask your arborist about before anything else.
Which trees it applies to
Protection follows the same size tests that decide removals: height, canopy spread and trunk girth. Registered trees are stricter still, because even minor pruning of a tree on the ACT Tree Register needs approval.
The standard the cuts follow
City Services says pruning must follow AS 4373, the Australian Standard for pruning amenity trees, or MIS 308 Tree Pruning. AS 4373 lists lopping, topping and flush cutting as unacceptable practices.
Evoenergy's inspections
Evoenergy inspects trees near its lines, including annual aerial inspections, and leaves a notification card if trees on your property are too close. If you find one, book the line clearance with an arborist Evoenergy authorises.
How tree pruning works in Canberra
Ageing trees. The ACT's Urban Forest Strategy names an ageing tree population as a key challenge. Older trees carry more deadwood (dead branches still on the tree), and taking it out well is careful work in the crown (the leafy top).
Winter sun. In winter, shade from a big tree can matter a lot. ACT approval criteria allow major pruning of a protected tree where it substantially affects winter solar access to the owner's or a neighbour's home between 9am and 3pm, and minor pruning won't fix it. Remnant eucalypts are excluded from that criterion.
Lines and regrowth. Evoenergy wants trees kept at least 1 metre from service lines and 1.5 metres from powerlines, and recommends 2.5 metres so three years of regrowth doesn't close the gap.
Storm preparation. The ACT Emergency Services Agency lists trimming overhanging branches as a way to get a home ready for severe weather.
Tree pruning in Canberra: what you can do yourself
You can
- Snip small, low branches you can reach with both feet on the ground, using secateurs, loppers or a pruning saw, once you've checked with City Services or ACTmapi whether the tree is protected or registered
- Water street trees in dry weather, which City Services encourages
- Photograph the tree and note branches over the roof, the gutters or the service line
- Check ACTmapi to see whether the tree is on the register
Leave to an arborist
- Any branch over 100 mm on a protected tree, once approval is through
- Anything inside Evoenergy's minimum distance, by an arborist Evoenergy authorises
- Crown work, deadwood removal and anything you can't reach from the ground
- Nature strip trees: those are the ACT Government's, so ask through Fix My Street
Questions to ask about tree pruning in Canberra
- Which branches are coming off, and how thick is the biggest one?
- Does any of it count as major pruning, and who's lodging the tree activity application?
- Will the cuts follow AS 4373 or MIS 308?
- How much of the canopy will be left, and how will the tree look next year?
- Is the line clearance part being done by someone Evoenergy authorises?
- Is the clean-up and removal of branches included?
Hiring an arborist for tree pruning in Canberra
Ask the arborist to write the thickest cut on the quote. If anything is over 100 mm on a tree that meets the size tests, the approval comes first and the booking comes second. If winter sun is the reason, say so plainly in the application, because it's one of the criteria City Services weighs.