Tree removal in Narellan: what's local
Very little canopy
A NSW table built on 2016 data put Narellan's average canopy at 0 to 10 per cent, and Narellan Vale's at 10 to 20. Camden's 2023 Urban Forest Strategy adds that Narellan Vale lost canopy between 2016 and 2019, and maps parts of both suburbs with canopy under 10%.
Older suburbs, hotter pockets
Council's strategy names pockets of older suburbs, Narellan and Narellan Vale among them, where residents are most vulnerable to extreme heat. Across the Camden area, canopy was 15.28% in 2019, well short of the NSW target of 40%.
An old village with heritage homes
Narellan's post office opened in 1856, and the heritage property Studley Park sits on Camden Valley Way. In Camden, heritage trees need development consent rather than an ordinary permit.
Council trees and the wires
Street and park trees belong to council, which asks residents not to prune them and says fines may apply. Camden doesn't prune for power line clearance: Endeavour Energy looks after public trees near its lines, and faults go to Endeavour.
Tree pruning and lopping in Narellan
| Lopping it back | Pruning to AS 4373 | |
|---|---|---|
| Camden permit | Needed if the tree meets the 3 metre test | Needed too, apart from a few listed exemptions |
| What grows back | Clusters of weak, bushy shoots | The tree's own branch structure |
| Shade afterwards | Very little, for several summers | Most of the crown, thinned or lifted |
| The standard's view | Listed as unacceptable practice | The methods it sets out |
Tree jobs you can do yourself in Narellan
You can
- Mulch under the canopy, spread as wide as you can, no deeper than seven to 10 centimetres and kept off the trunk.
- Put grass clippings in the green bin, not around the tree: council says they can cause root and collar rot.
- Water deeply through hot spells, and snip small shoots you can reach with both feet on the ground.
Leave to an arborist
- Any pruning or removal of a tree that meets Camden's permit test, once the permit is in.
- A health check if the leaves thin out or branches die back over summer.
- Branches near the service wire or street lines, which are work for people qualified near the network.
Hiring an arborist in Narellan
With canopy this thin, we'd only take a healthy tree out if it's genuinely causing damage. For most Narellan jobs we'd ask an arborist for a pruning plan, lodge it with council through the NSW Planning Portal, and keep the shade.