Tree removal in the Blue Mountains: what's local
Bush on every edge
The RFS calls the Blue Mountains one of the most bushfire prone areas in the world, with about 70 per cent of it inside the World Heritage national park and people spread across 27 towns and villages. More than 200 houses were lost in the October 2013 fires, and in Black Summer the Gospers Mountain fire destroyed 90 homes across four council areas.
What 10/50 allows
Where the RFS tool says your lot qualifies, you can clear trees within 10 metres of a home, and shrubs but not trees within 50 metres, on your own land only. A tree is in only if part of its trunk, more than 30 centimetres around at 1.3 metres up, is inside the 10 metres.
Slopes and creeks
10/50 doesn't allow tree clearing on slopes over 18 degrees without a geotechnical report, or within 10 metres of a lake or river at least 2 metres wide. On a sloping block, an arborist may need to bring a tree down in pieces, so expect them to look before quoting.
Council and power lines
Outside 10/50, it's a council question: Blue Mountains City Council's form is the Application for Removal and Pruning of Trees on Private Land. The lines are Endeavour Energy's, and 10/50 doesn't cover clearing around them; report a tree on a line to them.
Tree removal permits in the Blue Mountains
Run the tool on the day
Check the RFS online tool on the day you clear, because areas and rules can change, and keep a copy of the result.
Check what it can't override
10/50 doesn't allow clearing that conflicts with heritage listings, Aboriginal Places or scarred trees, development consent conditions, section 88B covenants, or critically endangered plants and communities.
Stay on your side of the fence
It's your own land only. If a trunk spans two properties, every owner has to approve its removal.
Hire someone trained and insured
The RFS recommends reputable tree services with trained, qualified operators who hold workers compensation and public liability insurance. Protected animals are still protected, so ask the arborist to check for wildlife first.
Hiring an arborist in the Blue Mountains
We'd run the 10/50 tool first and print the result, then have an arborist quote against it, so everyone knows which trees it covers and which need council. For a big tree on a slope near the house, we'd ask the arborist how it comes down and what's below it before anything else.