Trees and power lines in Marrickville
Never touch, trim or go near a tree that's touching a power line, because the whole branch may be live. In Marrickville that's Ausgrid's job. If wires are down, keep at least 8 metres away. Pruning within three metres of Ausgrid's wires is work for crews who meet the SafeWork NSW code, Ausgrid says, not for owners.
Tree removal in Marrickville: what's local
Old figs and Brush Box
Planting in the early to mid twentieth century gave the old Marrickville area its avenues of Brush Box, figs and camphor laurel, the former council's urban forest strategy says. Its oldest planted tree is a Moreton Bay Fig from 1856 at St Stephen's in Newtown.
Street trees past their prime
Many streets were planted after 1972 with short-lived trees and large shrubs under the power lines and in narrow streets, and much of that stock is near the end of its life. Planting in some narrow streets stays hard until traffic and footpath issues are sorted.
Water from the Cooks River
Inner West is preparing a flood study for southern Dulwich Hill and south-west Marrickville. Council says the February 2022 and April 2024 storms showed how heavy rain and high Cooks River levels combine to flood properties and close roads. A tree that starts to lean in soaked ground needs an arborist's look.
What Inner West protects
The Tree Management DCP 2023 covers trees 4 metres or taller, shorter ones with a trunk over 150mm at 1.4 metres, any with a canopy spread of 2 metres or more, and palms or tree ferns with 4 metres of clean stem.
Tree removal permits in Marrickville
A tree on the nature strip is council's, and NSW Planning says work on a street tree needs approval first. Report a problem to Inner West instead of cutting it yourself. The council street trees guide explains what to ask for.
For a tree on your side of the fence, read the Inner West permit page and get the application in early. Every owner has to sign it, and council will want a replacement tree planted for any approved removal.
Hiring an arborist in Marrickville
If roots are the worry, we'd have the drains checked first, because root pruning itself needs a permit here and a plumber's report can help the application. For anything near the wires, we'd ring Ausgrid before any arborist, and then book only a crew trained to work near lines.