Tree removal in the Sutherland Shire: what's local
A low bar for protection
Chapter 39 of the Sutherland Shire DCP 2015 protects any tree, single or multi-trunked, from a 100mm trunk diameter measured 500mm above ground. That catches plenty of backyard trees nobody would call big. Remnant bushland plants are covered at any size, and so is anything growing within 4 metres of a creek. The Sutherland Shire permit page has the full rules.
National park on the doorstep
Royal National Park, established in 1879, covers 16,000ha along the Shire's southern side. The Shire's bush fire risk plan, commencing 2025, names seven focus areas, including Engadine-Heathcote, Grays Point-Gymea Bay, Bundeena-Maianbar, Menai-Barden Ridge and Loftus-Woronora Heights. Homes that back onto reserves in those areas are where fire planning and tree work meet.
Storm season
NSW SES says 90% of the state's severe thunderstorm activity falls between October and March. In 2015 a tornado from a very severe thunderstorm hit Kurnell with peak gusts of 213km/h. Split limbs and leaning trees tend to follow that kind of weather.
Ausgrid's wires
The Shire is on Ausgrid's network. Report a tree on a street line, or fallen wires, to Ausgrid, and keep at least 8 metres back from anything that's come down.
Tree removal permits in the Sutherland Shire
No. The DCP says council will permit removal of a tree within three metres of a dwelling or swimming pool, but you still have to apply and wait for approval. Council measures from the outer wall or slab edge to the trunk, at 500mm above ground. Decks, garages, sheds and fences don't count.
Where a removal is approved and no development is involved, council asks for replacement planting at 2:1 on private land, so work out where two new trees could go before you lodge.
Dead trees are where old advice goes wrong. The DCP text treats many dead trees as outside protection, but NSW's 2026 changes mean dead and dying protected trees now need a council permit, and hollows in a dead tree must be kept for wildlife. Ask council before anyone touches one.
Tree removal in the Sutherland Shire: good to know
Some Shire addresses are in a 10/50 area, where the RFS lets owners clear trees within 10 metres of a home. It only counts if the RFS online tool says so for your address on the day you clear, and you should keep a copy of the result.
The code has its own limits: no clearing within 10 metres of a river at least 2 metres wide, none in mangroves or saltmarsh, and slopes over 18 degrees need a geotechnical report. It never covers trees near power lines. The 10/50 guide goes through the rest.
Hiring an arborist in the Sutherland Shire
We'd measure the trunk at 500mm, about knee height, before anything else. If it's 100mm or more, we'd lodge with council before collecting final quotes, and we'd ask any arborist writing about a risky tree whether they hold AQF level 4 or higher, since that's the report council considers. Backing onto bush, we'd also check the RFS tool on the day.