Councils in Victoria have the challenging task of upholding the balance of the biodiversity, neighbourhood characteristics, as well as the health and safety of trees in their municipality – both in the private and public spaces. Some local councils work hard to protect trees, especially trees that are mature, native or indigenous. Trees play an important part of our ecosystem and are important to local communities and general wellbeing. It is therefore important to successfully navigate the council-specific rules and regulations with respect to any planned tree removal work, or significant pruning or shaping.

Tree protection laws are different for each council. Not every tree will require a permit to be removed or pruned, however some trees will require special provisions and approval from the local authority. Most of the time, there are several tree-related works that normally do not require a permit. These include pruning tree branches that touch service wires, branches that are damaging or likely to cause damage to dwellings or other structures, dead and or defective branches, or trees that threaten life or property, the removal of weed species, and or trees for bush fire management purposes.

There are some pockets of Melbourne that require people to retain weedy species of trees, and or dead trees for habitat for wildlife. There are many suburban areas that have no tree protection overlays, nor local law regulations to protect the trees. In these areas, the owner of the trees is free to do as they like. It is in these instances, that guidance from an arborist should be sought, to help make informed and wise decisions for the health and longevity of the trees in question, and if pruning or removal achieves the best outcome.