Street Tree Pruning and Removal

Street tree pruning

Pruning of street trees on your verge is a prohibited activity in accordance with the Local Government Act 1995. The City is responsible for pruning all street trees on residential verges in Cockburn.

We follow the Australian Standards AS 4373-2007 Pruning of Amenity Trees, which determine whether a tree should be pruned and the type of pruning done. The Australian standard does not cover powerline clearance pruning as this is done to industry best practice as per Western Power line clearance requirements. 
 
Following Australian Standards, the City will consider pruning a street tree if it:

• Improves the safety, structure and health of the tree 
• Provides clearance for people and vehicles moving below the tree. Generally, this is a minimum of 2m over the footpath and 3.5-4.5m over a carriageway or road 
• Prevents branches from overhanging a property boundary
• Maintains safe clearance zones from powerlines as per Western Power requirements
• Maintains a clear line of sight for vehicles and cyclists.

The City will generally not prune a street tree if:

• Allergies are experienced by a resident/s
• The tree is dropping leaves (the City undertakes scheduled and additional road sweeping in areas with heavy leaf litter)
• The tree is shading solar panels
• The tree is blocking views. 

How to get your street tree pruned

Requests will be prioritised, and non-urgent requests may take up five months to complete. The timing also depends on City officer and contractor availability and if the tree requires multiple forms of pruning (e.g. under pruning, powerline clearance, Traffic Management, etc).
 
If you believe your street tree needs pruning:

1. Email [email protected] submit your request online or call 08 9411 3444
2. City reviews the pruning request, conducts a site visit if required and agrees the tree requires pruning
3. City Officer allocates pruning request to internal crew if they can do this or
4. City lodges pruning works with an external contractor
5. City notifies the customer via email or phone, that a request has been raised with the internal crew or external contractor
6. Internal crew or Contractor completes pruning 
7. The City updates the customer request, advising the resident that the job has been completed, if they have an email address associated with the request.

If the City concludes that no pruning is required, the City contacts the resident to inform them that pruning will not occur and the reasoning behind the decision. 

If a resident believes a City tree has caused root damage to their property, they can email [email protected], including a description and image.

A City Officer will assess the tree roots and advise the resident of the outcome. They will also send the information to their insurance company for assessment. Residents can also send the information to their own insurance companies.

Street tree removal

The City is responsible for the removal of verge and reserve trees. Trees will only be considered for removal, under the following circumstances:

• Dead
• Diseases
• Structurally unsound
• Obstructing an approved works program, by either the City or utilities
• Tree root damage to public and/or private assets, when root barrier installation is not viable
• Damage by a declared storm event
• Identified as an invasive species. 

If you would like more information on street tree removals or would like to have a street tree assessed, please contact us.

More information and contact