Council rules
Tree removal permits in Cairns
Pruning is mostly yours to do, removal often is not, and Cairns and Douglas Shire each set their own rules.
Cairns Regional Council
How CairnsPlan treats trees
An owner who wants to remove vegetation on their own property may need a Development Permit for Operational Works under the CairnsPlan 2016 planning scheme.
Significant trees
For private trees the plan defines a significant tree as one greater than 7.5m in height, measured from natural ground to the top of the crown.
What counts as damage
The plan counts more than cutting: to ring bark, push over, poison or destroy a tree in any way is damage too.
Pruning you can do
Council lists work an owner can do without council approval, including removal of deadwood and hazardous limbs, crown lifting, formative and selective pruning and crown thinning.
Dangerous trees
Approval is still needed to remove a dangerous tree unless removal is needed to reduce an imminent risk of serious personal injury or damage, as determined by a suitably qualified person.
How it works
From the first message to a written quote
The council question is settled before any price, and nothing is booked until you have said yes to a quote in writing.
- 1
Tell us what the tree is doing
Where it stands, what it hangs over and what you would like done about it.
- 2
A contractor comes to see it
A tree contractor who covers your suburb looks at the tree, the access and what is underneath it.
- 3
The council question is answered
Whether it is pruning council lets you do, or a removal that needs approval, is settled before the price.
- 4
You get it in writing
Scope, timber, stump and date on one page, and nothing is booked until you have said yes.
Approvals
Street trees, weeds, Douglas Shire and the dump
Can I prune the council tree on the verge?
No. Residents are not permitted to modify, prune or remove public trees without a council permit, and that includes the tree on the verge.
What about an African tulip tree?
The Queensland Government lists African tulip tree as a category 3 restricted invasive plant, which landholders must manage. It reproduces via seeds and suckers, so cuttings should not be dumped in the bush.
Does the state's vegetation law apply to my yard?
Clearing to reduce the imminent risk the vegetation poses to people or infrastructure is exempt under the state framework, but the council's own planning rules still have to be checked.
How does Douglas Shire decide?
Council says residents can often work out whether a permit is needed using the table of assessment and the vegetation management code, and that removal is the last resort once other options have been tried.
Can a contractor use the free green waste weeks?
Not at the free rate in Cairns. Normal rates apply to green waste brought by garden maintenance contractors on behalf of residents at Portsmith, Smithfield, Gordonvale and Babinda. In Douglas Shire a contractor delivering for a resident needs prior approval for a free period.
Where does Douglas Shire take green waste?
Clean, separated green waste goes to the Killaloe, Newell and Daintree transfer stations. Green waste from electric ant areas must be declared, and green waste from declared weed areas is not accepted.
