Questions to ask an arborist in Wollondilly
| Town and village zones | Rural (RU) zoned land | |
|---|---|---|
| Who approves clearing | Wollondilly Shire Council | Local Land Services, Moss Vale |
| Bushfire clearing | 10/50, only where the RFS tool says your address qualifies | The same: the RFS tool decides, on the day |
| The rules behind it | Council's tree application, Tier 1 or Tier 2 | The state's Land Management Framework for farmland |
Tree removal in Wollondilly: what's local
Mostly bush and water catchment
The shire covers 2,560 square kilometres, and most of it is national park or part of Sydney's water catchment. On a NSW table built from 2016 data, canopy runs from 10 to 20 per cent in Picton to 40 per cent or more around Appin and Warragamba.
Koala country
Council says koalas live around Appin, Wilton, Avon Dam and Bargo, and that those north of Picton Road through to Campbelltown are part of the only koala population in NSW not known to carry the disease. Report sightings on council's form, and ask the arborist to check a tree for koalas before any work starts.
After the fires
The AIDR lists the Green Wattle Creek fire, in Wollondilly, among the Black Summer fires of 2019 to 2020. Council's advice is that burnt bush often regrows, so fire damage alone isn't a reason to clear it, and the usual approval process still applies.
Villages with flood studies
Council adopted a shire-wide flood study in May 2026, with village studies for places including Tahmoor, Appin, The Oaks, Thirlmere, Bargo and Warragamba. Big trees on soaked creek flats deserve a look after heavy rain.
Lines out of town
Endeavour Energy runs the network across the shire, and council doesn't prune near powerlines. Report a tree on a line to Endeavour.
Bushfire clearing in Wollondilly
If a burnt or damaged tree could fall right now, keep everyone clear, call the SES or a qualified arborist, and take photos to give council afterwards.
For anything less urgent, council wants written evidence and photos from an arborist, plus its own written confirmation, before a dead, dying or dangerous tree is touched. NSW's 2026 changes point the same way: protected trees that are dead or dying now need approval as well.
Check any development consent on the property before clearing for fire. Wollondilly says trees a consent requires to be kept can't be cleared under 10/50, and our bushfire clearing guide explains the rest.
Hiring an arborist in Wollondilly
Start with the zoning, because it tells you whether to ring council or Local Land Services. On a bush block, we'd have the arborist check for koalas and hollows before quoting a removal, and we'd lean towards pruning anything that's regrowing after fire rather than taking it out.