Arborist Central Coast, New South Wales
Local Tree Removal Gosford provides arborist services on the Central Coast, including tree health and risk assessments, pruning and canopy work, advice on whether a tree should stay or go, and tree removal. This page explains what Central Coast Council expects an arborist’s paperwork to show.
What Council Expects An Arborist To Put On Paper
On most Central Coast land, the work homeowners want done falls under one of council’s exemptions. An exemption only protects you if you can show it applied. Council says you don’t send the evidence in. You keep it, and hand it over if council investigates a report of illegal removal. The full list of exemptions is on our home page. This is what each type of work asks you to keep.
Species and condition record
When a tree is removed under an exemption, council asks the landowner to keep recorded evidence from a Trade (AQF3) or Consulting (AQF5) arborist identifying the species and condition, such as photographs and written expert advice.
Before and after photos
For removal or pruning of a tree within 3 m of an approved structure, council asks you to keep before and after photos for at least six months and provide them if asked.
Pruning specification
For branches directly over the roofline, council asks for a pruning specification written by an arborist at AQF3 or above, to AS 4373-2007. You keep it for six months. Council recommends one where branches thicker than 50 mm are being removed.
Emergency work
The evidence requirements don’t apply where work is needed for emergency purposes, such as when it’s authorised by police, ambulance, SES, fire brigade or RFS.
Get the species and condition recorded before the work starts. Council and other authorities act each year on reports of illegal tree and vegetation removal, and the evidence is what shows an exemption was valid. Once the tree is gone there is nothing left to photograph.
What An Arborist Assessment Can Settle
These are the questions an on-site assessment can answer, and why each one matters under council’s rules.
| Question | What the assessment records | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| What species is it? | The species, checked against council’s weed and Undesirable Species lists and its list of threatened species. | Weeds and undesirable species are exempt. Threatened species are excluded from council’s exemptions and need a Biodiversity Conservation Licence from the state. |
| Is it dead, dying or a risk? | Condition, with photos and written advice. | This is how council becomes satisfied that a tree is dead, dying or a risk to life or property, so no permit is needed. |
| Does it have hollows? | Hollows in the trunk or limbs suitable for nesting birds, possums or bats, or growth of epiphytes such as orchids. | Council’s exemptions don’t apply to a habitat tree for threatened fauna species. |
| Is pruning enough? | Which branches, how much foliage, and whether the cuts follow AS 4373-2007. | Light pruning of up to 10% of foliage once each growing season is exempt. Work beyond that may need a permit. |
Before You Book An Arborist
- Ask what AQF level the arborist holds. Council’s evidence rules name Trade (AQF3) or Consulting (AQF5), so the level matters if you’re relying on an exemption.
- Ask for species and condition in writing, with photos, and keep the copy for at least six months.
- For branches over a roof, ask for a written pruning specification before any cutting.
- Check whether the tree is protected. Heritage items, trees in heritage conservation areas and trees on council’s Significant Tree Register are treated differently, and the usual exemptions don’t apply to heritage items.
- Look for wires. Tree work within three metres of Ausgrid powerlines must be done by workers accredited under the SafeWork code of practice for work near overhead powerlines.
- If your block has a development consent, read what it says about the tree first. Council’s tree chapter doesn’t apply to removal authorised by a development consent. Our land clearing page covers the building-site side.
Once You Know What The Tree Needs
If the assessment points to removal, see our tree removal page. If the tree only needs cutting back, our tree lopping page explains what to check first. If a tree has come down or split after a storm, go to emergency tree removal.
Get your tree looked at
Tell us where the tree is, what it’s close to and what you need to know. Photos of the whole tree and the bark help.