Tree removal in Templestowe: what's local
A protection area with the suburb's name
Manningham's Vegetation Protection Overlay Schedule 2 covers the Templestowe Vegetation Protection Area, a treed, low density residential area. It catches Victorian native vegetation, plus exotic or Australian native trees over 0.35 metre around at 1.3 metres, or taller than 6 metres. Lopping counts, not just removal.
Dead gums still count
In VPO2, a dead eucalypt more than 20 metres from a building and over 1 metre around at 1.3 metres stays protected. So a big dead gum down the back of a large Templestowe block can still need a permit.
The river side
Westerfolds Park, entered from Fitzsimons Lane and Porter Street, has over 120 hectares along the Yarra, with patches of grassy woodland, River Red Gum and Manna Gum. Along the river, SLO2 (the Yarra River Corridor Environs) needs a permit to remove, destroy or lop most vegetation.
Backyard trees as wildlife links
Manningham says a lot of its wildlife moves across scattered trees in residential areas between its conservation areas. Mature trees on Templestowe blocks can be part of that network, and Manningham's planning scheme aims to keep native tree cover and habitat corridors for exactly that reason.
Tree removal permits in Templestowe
| VPO2 (Templestowe Vegetation Protection Area) | SLO2 (Yarra River corridor) | |
|---|---|---|
| What's covered | Native vegetation, plus any tree over 0.35 metre around at 1.3 metres or over 6 metres tall | Most vegetation, apart from smaller non-native plants and limited pruning listed in the schedule |
| Dead trees | Large dead eucalypts away from buildings are still covered | Ask council before touching dead timber on the river side |
| Lopping | Needs a permit, like removal | Needs a permit, like removal |
| Where to check | Your VicPlan property report, then Manningham | Your VicPlan property report, then Manningham |
Tree jobs you can do yourself in Templestowe
You can
- Check VicPlan for the overlays on your address before planning any work.
- Photograph the tree from a few sides and note any splits, lean or fungus at the base.
- Rake up fallen bark and leaves, and keep gutters clear before summer.
- Prune small, low branches you can reach with both feet on the ground, once you know the overlay allows it.
Leave to an arborist
- Removing or reducing a large gum, especially one near the house or over a neighbour's yard.
- Taking deadwood (dead branches still on the tree) out of a tall tree.
- A written assessment if you're applying to remove a tree for safety reasons.
- Anything near a power line, which stays a job for the network or an arborist they authorise.
Hiring an arborist in Templestowe
Assume a big tree on a Templestowe block is protected until council tells you otherwise. Ring Manningham with your address first, then get an arborist out to look at the tree itself. If it's sound, good pruning to the standard can solve the problem without a removal application at all.