Hornsby Shire Council Arborist Reports
Hornsby DA, tree removal or tree safety concern? Get a council-ready arborist report.
AQF Level 5 arborist reports for Hornsby Shire, providing the professional documentation required for Council applications, tree removal and development projects.
- DA Arborist Reports
- Tree Removal Reports
- Tree Protection Plans
- Project Arborist Services
Expert Arborist Reports Across Hornsby Shire Council
Hornsby, Waitara, Asquith, Berowra, Cherrybrook and every other suburb across Hornsby Shire.
Hornsby Shire combines established suburbs such as Hornsby, Waitara and Asquith with bushland communities including Berowra, Mount Colah and Cowan, and rural areas around Galston and Arcadia.
Development near significant tree canopy often requires an arborist report before a Development Application or Tree Permit can proceed.
Which Arborist Report Do You Need?
Hornsby Shire Council Wards We Service
Hornsby Shire Council is divided into three official wards - Ward A, Ward B and Ward C. Select your ward below for local information about AQF Level 5 Arborist Reports, Development Applications, tree removal assessments and construction near protected trees. Ward boundary note: Some suburbs and localities are shared across ward or council boundaries. Part of Asquith is near the Ward A/Ward B boundary, while Dural, Glenorie, Glenhaven, Castle Hill, West Pennant Hills and Wahroonga may also involve adjoining councils. Council's current ward map and the property address should be used to confirm the correct ward and council.
Ward A: Berowra, Galston & Dural
Bushland-fringed residential suburbs, rural land and Hawkesbury River communities. Large properties, native vegetation, bushland interfaces and bushfire-prone land can require careful assessment of tree retention, removal, biodiversity considerations and development impacts.
- Berowra
- Berowra Heights
- Galston
- Glenorie
- Dural
- Middle Dural
- Arcadia
- Asquith
- Glenhaven
- Cowan
- Hornsby Heights
- Mount Colah
- Mount Kuring-gai
- Brooklyn
- Maroota
- Surrounding northern localities
Ward B: Hornsby, Waitara & Pennant Hills
Hornsby town centre and established middle-ring residential suburbs. Town-centre redevelopment around Hornsby and Waitara combines with established residential streets and mature canopy, creating regular requirements for development arborist reports, tree removal assessments and tree-protection planning.
- Hornsby
- Waitara
- Normanhurst
- Pennant Hills
- Thornleigh
- Wahroonga
- Westleigh
Ward C: Beecroft, Cherrybrook & Castle Hill
Established southern suburbs, heritage streetscapes and continuing residential redevelopment. Heritage streetscapes, mature trees and redevelopment across the southern part of Hornsby Shire can require careful assessment of tree retention, construction impacts and Tree Protection Zones.
- Beecroft
- Cheltenham
- Cherrybrook
- North Epping
- Castle Hill
- West Pennant Hills
Our Hornsby Arborist Services
Home extensions, dual occupancies and new dwellings are common throughout Cherrybrook, Hornsby, Galston and Berowra, where mature trees frequently require Arboricultural Impact Assessments and Tree Protection Plans.
DA Arborist Reports (AIA)
Arboricultural Impact Assessments determining the impact of your proposed development on surrounding and adjacent trees, prepared in accordance with AS 4970 for Council lodgement.
Arboricultural Impact AssessmentsHealth and Safety Tree Assessments
Reports for removal or major pruning on health and safety grounds, prepared using QTRA and TRAQ methodologies, with Resistograph® decay testing for internal decay and cavity analysis.
Tree health and risk assessmentDevelopment Compliance and Project Arborist Services
Tree Management Plans to meet Council construction requirements, project arborist services where required, and Tree Protection Plans that minimise construction impact on retained trees, from design through to construction compliance. Additional services include tree root investigation using AirSpade, tree surveys, and ecology, flora and fauna reporting.
Project arborist servicesTree Removal and Pruning Reports
Dangerous tree removal and standard removal or pruning reports, with fast-track service available and all arrangements handled for you.
Tree removal reportsWhy Choose Arbor Express in Hornsby Shire?
32+ years of dedicated arborist report consultancy and tree care services across Hornsby Shire, backed by 5-star Google reviews.
- AQF Level 5 consulting arborists, QTRA and TRAQ qualified
- 32+ years of arboricultural consulting experience
- Reports prepared in accordance with AS 4970 and AS 4373
- Reports written to meet Council's Guidelines for Preparing an Arborist Report
- Fast-track reporting for urgent projects and dangerous trees
- Local knowledge of Hornsby Shire Council planning requirements
Need a Report Quickly?
Fast-track reporting is available for urgent Development Application deadlines. Call us to discuss your timeframe.
0494 077 630Suburbs We Service Across Hornsby Shire
Hornsby Town Centre and Southern Corridor
Apartment redevelopment, established residential streets and mature urban canopy, where arborist reports are commonly required for Development Applications, renovations and construction near retained trees.
- Hornsby
- Waitara
- Asquith
- Normanhurst
- Wahroonga (Hornsby Council portion)
Upper North Shore
Bushland-fringed suburbs adjoining national parks with significant native vegetation, where development often requires Arboricultural Impact Assessments, Tree Protection Plans and careful management of retained trees.
- Berowra
- Berowra Heights
- Mount Colah
- Mount Kuring-gai
- Cowan
Rural and Semi-Rural Areas
Larger acreage properties and remnant native bushland, where arborist reports are frequently required for new dwellings, rural infrastructure, subdivisions and tree management.
- Arcadia
- Galston
- Glenorie (Hornsby Council portion)
- Fiddletown
- Berrilee
- Forest Glen
Cherrybrook and West Pennant Hills
Mature gardens, larger lots and ongoing renovations, where arborist reports are commonly required for extensions, pools, knockdown rebuilds and tree removal applications.
- Cherrybrook
- West Pennant Hills (Hornsby Council portion)
Hornsby Shire Council Tree Rules
The State Environmental Planning Policy (Biodiversity and Conservation) 2021 provides the authority for tree preservation and removal across Hornsby Shire, alongside Council's own tree controls and guidelines.
- General rule: pruning or removal of trees on private property generally requires a permit, assessed by Council's qualified arborists.
- Common exemptions: removing a tree under 3 metres not within native vegetation, removing deadwood, pruning up to 10% of canopy causing nuisance, and removing a tree within 3 metres of an approved dwelling (measured to the trunk at 1.4 metres above ground).
- Exemption exclusions: none apply within a Heritage Conservation Area, a Locally Significant Ecological Community, or an Endangered or Critically Endangered Ecological Community (including its 50-metre buffer).
- When a permit is required: work beyond nuisance pruning, removal of more than 10% of canopy, trees in a Heritage Conservation Area, trees mapped as Biodiversity on the HLEP Terrestrial Biodiversity Map, and trees that are habitat for threatened species or ecological communities.
- Accepted reasons for removal: likelihood of failure with no feasible remedial action, substantial continuing structural damage to a dwelling, declining health with life expectancy under 5 years, an unsuitable position threatening major damage, or proven medical evidence. Structural and health reasons generally require a supporting AQF Level 5 arborist report.
- Development Applications: proposed development is assessed through the development process, not a standalone Tree Removal Application. A consent requiring trees to be retained or replanted governs later removal.
- 10/50 areas: eligible properties may remove trees within 10 metres and vegetation within 50 metres of the home under the RFS 10/50 Code, except where heritage-listed or ecologically significant.
- Replacement planting: approved removals must be replaced with a tree indigenous to Hornsby Shire, of like habit, planted near the original location under Council's Green Offsets Code.
- Need help? We can determine which application or report your project needs and prepare documentation to Council's arborist report guidelines.
Hornsby Arborist Report FAQs
A permit isn't required to remove a tree under 3 metres not within native vegetation, deadwood, or a tree on Council's exempt species list. A tree within 3 metres of an approved dwelling (measured from trunk to external wall at 1.4 metres above ground) can also be removed without a permit. None of these apply within a Heritage Conservation Area or a significant or endangered ecological community. We can confirm before you proceed.
In most cases, yes. A permit is required for work that isn't addressing nuisance, for pruning or removing more than 10% of a tree's canopy, for trees in a Heritage Conservation Area, or for trees mapped as Biodiversity or within a threatened or endangered ecological community.
Leaf, flower, fruit or sap drop, minor damage to paths or driveways, and a wish for more light or view are not accepted where the tree is healthy. Council accepts removal where there's a likelihood of failure, substantial continuing structural damage to a dwelling, declining health with life expectancy under 5 years, or proven medical evidence linking a health condition to the tree.
Fast-track reporting is available for urgent and hazardous tree assessments, subject to availability.
Yes. Removal proposed as part of a development is assessed through the development process rather than a standalone Tree Removal Application, and a consent requiring trees to be retained or replanted affects what can later be removed.
Yes. We prepare DA arborist reports at design stage, Tree Protection Plans after approval, and project arborist inspections through construction across Hornsby Shire.
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