How tree pruning works in Perth
Perth's rough weather is a cool-season thing. From April to October the south-west usually cops four to six cold fronts a month, and one or two of those are severe enough to bring down limbs. DFES asks people to trim loose branches before storm season starts, so March and April are the busy months.
A good prune for that purpose is selective. The arborist takes out deadwood (dead branches still on the tree), cracked or rubbing limbs, and anything leaning over the roof, while leaving the crown (the leafy top) in balance so the wind passes through it. Cutting everything back to stubs does the opposite: the regrowth is weakly attached and comes down more easily later. The Australian Standard for pruning, AS 4373, lists lopping and topping as unacceptable practice, and our lopping vs pruning guide explains the difference.
Tree pruning in Perth: what's local
Council pruning limits
Councils with tree retention policies count heavy pruning as damage. In Cambridge, pruning a regulated tree needs development approval unless it's maintenance pruning, such as dead or diseased wood or no more than 10% of the canopy in 12 months. Other councils word it differently, so ask yours before a big tree is cut back.
Where the prunings go
The shot-hole borer quarantine covers the metro area. In the Management Zone, branches wider than 2 cm can't be moved outside the zone, and untreated wood can't leave unless it's chipped to 2.5 cm or smaller. Ask your arborist where the green waste is headed.
Clean gear between trees
DPIRD recommends cleaning pruning gear, chainsaws and woodchippers after use and disinfecting them with 70 per cent ethanol. An arborist working across Perth should already do this; it's a fair thing to ask about.
Hills firebreak pruning
Hills councils can require under-pruning by notice. Kalamunda's 2026/2027 notice asks for trees over 5 metres within 20 metres of a building to be under-pruned up to 2 metres, so the lower branches can't carry a ground fire into the crown.
Branches over the boundary
Legal Aid WA says that unless a tree preservation order applies, you can cut a neighbour's overhanging branches back to your boundary. You can't cut anything on their side or go onto their land without agreement. Our neighbours' trees guide goes further.
Trees and power lines in Perth
Leave it alone. WA's guidelines treat the area above any line, and within 3.0 metres of lines up to 33,000 volts, as a danger zone, and a flashover can happen without anyone touching the wire. Western Power says this work is best left to someone qualified. For a branch already on a line, call Western Power and keep everyone back.
Signs you need tree pruning in Perth
- Small round holes in the trunk or branches, with sawdust-like frass around them
- Resin, gumming, a crystalline foam or dark staining on the bark
- Branches wilting or the canopy dying back for no clear reason
- A crack running down from a branch into the trunk
Tree health in Perth
The first three signs above are what City of Swan lists for the shot-hole borer. If you see them, don't prune, remove or dispose of the tree until DPIRD has given advice. Report it through the MyPestGuide Reporter app or the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline. Pruning an infested tree and carting the branches off can spread the beetle to the next suburb.
Tree pruning in Perth: what you can do yourself
You can
- Take off small dead twigs and suckers you can reach with both feet on the ground, using secateurs, loppers or a pruning saw
- Bag or cover green waste and take it to an approved facility
- Photograph the tree and any holes, staining or splits before anyone touches it
- Ask the council whether your tree is regulated before booking a big prune
Leave to an arborist
- Any cut you'd need a ladder for, or anything over the roof, fence or driveway
- Crown thinning, crown lifting and reduction cuts on large gums
- Branches anywhere near the street or service lines
- Under-pruning required by a hills fire hazard notice
Hiring an arborist for tree pruning in Perth
We'd book the prune for autumn, before the first big front, and ask the arborist to name every limb they plan to take and why. If the tree is a big gum, we'd check with the council first whether it counts as regulated, and we'd want the quote to say where the prunings will be dumped under the quarantine.