Is my tree dead, dying or just stressed?

What are the signs a tree is dying?

An arborist on Gardening Australia lists the early signs as sudden leaf loss, new leaves that never arrive, flowers that fail to open and any change to the way the tree normally grows. You know your tree's habits, so trust it when something looks off.

Watch for epicormic growth too: clusters of new shoots sprouting straight out of the trunk or main branches. Gardening Australia counts it among the signs a tree may be in decline. It's often the tree trying to replace a crown (the leafy top) it's losing.

Then look down. A NSW SES spokesperson told the ABC that lots of rotted or dead branches on the ground can signal trouble, and so can a root ball (the mass of roots and soil at the base) that's slowly working its way out of the ground.

Tiny round holes in the bark with sawdust-like frass around them point to borers. Our pests and diseases guide covers them.

Dead, dormant or just stressed?

A bare tree isn't always a dead one. Deciduous trees drop their leaves every year (jacarandas do it in early spring, English oaks before winter), so compare it with last year, or with the same species down the street.

For a quick check, scratch a thin twig you can reach from the ground. Green, moist wood under the bark means that part is alive. Brown and dry means that twig has died, though the rest may not have.

Gum trees are harder to write off. Many eucalypts have a lignotuber, an underground store that lets them shoot again after fire or damage, so a gum that looks finished can sprout from low down.

Councils have their own test, and theirs is the one that counts for a permit. Newcastle's DCP, for example, treats a tree as dead when its biological function has stopped: no leaves, and visible drying of the trunk, root plate and canopy.

A dying tree near the house: who's responsible?

If a strong, healthy tree comes down in a storm, Financial Rights Legal Centre says the owner usually isn't liable, because it's treated as an act of God. That changes once the tree is dead or damaged: then you may be liable if it falls or causes damage.

The same factsheet says insurers won't pay to take down a tree you suspect is dangerous, so the decision is yours to make before a storm makes it for you. If you're unsure, Financial Rights suggests asking an arborist or the council whether the tree can come out. The Insurance Council suggests dealing with dead or rotting trees before storm season, noting you may need a council permit.

Does a dead tree still need council approval?

Often, yes. Dead doesn't mean it can simply come down, and the rules have been tightening.

NSW: under the 2026 changes, pruning or removing a protected dead or dying tree needs a council permit or Native Vegetation Panel approval, and the old exemptions no longer apply. NSW Planning says the change stops people poisoning trees and removing them once they've died. Even the imminent risk route needs the council's written agreement first, and Ku-ring-gai won't let work begin on a dead tree until it confirms in writing that the tree is dead and isn't needed as habitat.

Habitat matters because hollows in dead trees can be nesting sites for native animals. Sutherland Shire's DCP, for example, requires them to be kept.

Victoria: clause 52.17 needs a permit for native vegetation whether it's alive or dead, and a standing dead native tree with a trunk of 40 centimetres or more in diameter at 1.3 metres stays covered. Local laws can go further: Boroondara needs a permit for canopy trees even when they're dead.

ACT: a dead native tree on private land is protected once its trunk measures at least 1.88 metres around, 1.4 metres above the ground.

Where a council wants evidence, it's usually an arborist's report. Randwick asks for one for any dying, dead or dangerous tree. Everywhere else, our tree permit pages are the place to start, and the council is the place to finish.