Mortdale based. Sydney wide. 15 years on the tools.
Arborist North Shore
AQF Level 5 arborists, $20M public liability and council paperwork handled. Tell us about the job and we call you back the same day.
★ 5.0 from 71 Google reviewsAQF Level 5 arboristsISO 9001 certified$20M public liability
Ku-ring-gai and Upper North Shore tree removal, pruning and council-ready reports.
The Upper North Shore has the biggest trees, one of the strictest councils and dozens of heritage conservation areas. Ku-ring-gai’s canopy covers about half the local government area, two critically endangered forest communities survive in its back yards, and the Council issued close to a hundred penalty notices in a single year. True Roots works St Ives, Turramurra, Gordon, Killara, Lindfield, Roseville, Pymble and Wahroonga with an AQF Level 5 consulting arborist on the quote, the application and the report, and crews who rig 30 m gums over houses for a living.
Ku-ring-gai tree rules in 60 seconds
- Protected: any tree 5 m or more tall, or with a trunk of 150 mm or more at ground level. Injuring one without written consent is prohibited.
- Exempt: trees within 3 m of the house (trunk centre to wall; garages and carports excluded); branches and roots up to 50 mm; completely dead branches; branches directly over the roof cut back to the nearest junction; the exempt species table (privet, cocos palm, African olive, umbrella tree, Liquidambar only under 12 m, and others); priority weeds; 10/50 bushfire work where the RFS tool confirms eligibility.
- Not exempt: dead trees until Council confirms in writing; anything on a heritage item, in a heritage conservation area, on Biodiversity Values Map land or in Blue Gum High Forest or Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest — those are development applications.
- Fees: $88 to remove one tree, $44 to prune, $13 each additional, non-refundable. No arborist report is required to apply, but one written to Council’s AQF5 guidelines is what gets a contested tree approved.
- Penalties: $3,000 / $6,000 penalty notices; a Killara owner was fined $10,000 plus $4,800 costs in 2026 for a 24 m Norfolk Island pine.
Street-by-street detail, fees and forms are in our Ku-ring-gai Council tree removal guide.
Why North Shore trees are different
Blue Gum High Forest and STIF
Less than 5% of Blue Gum High Forest remains, mostly around St Ives, and only about 0.5% of Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest survives in Ku-ring-gai. On mapped blocks the exemptions vanish and removal is a DA with a report. We check the mapping before we quote.
Heritage conservation areas
Gordon has six, Lindfield five, Roseville four, Turramurra three. Inside them no tree exemption applies and Council’s heritage DCP says whole removal of significant trees is generally not supported — so retention and pruning options have to be put properly.
Bushfire-prone land and 10/50
Council maps more than 3,000 hectares of bushfire-prone land and over 11,000 affected properties. The 10/50 code only applies where the RFS tool says so, only to trunks within 10 m of the building, and never in a critically endangered community.
Height
Sydney Blue Gums reach 30 m. A tree that size over a house is a rigging or crane job over two to three days, and a $5,000–$25,000+ removal. Cheaper quotes online are for different trees.
Recent North Shore work
Three jobs that show the range: a 20 m Liquidambar over a pool in St Ives with hard rear access, priced as a three-day large-tree removal after the Council application; a Lindfield enquiry with Ku-ring-gai consent already granted, which goes straight to a fixed price and a date; and a Turramurra block the owners want cleared in stages for a rebuild, walked by our arborist to map which trees are protected, exempt or within 3 m of the house before any application. Read the Ku-ring-gai tight-access case study.
Photos from our own jobs. Client addresses are never published.
Get a free quote
Tell us what you need done and we will call you back to arrange a look. Every job is assessed individually - no two trees are the same.
Urgent or unsafe tree? Call 0422 023 242 - we answer 24 hours.
What North Shore tree work costs
Small tree or palm under 5 m: $300–$900 ex GST. Medium tree 5–10 m with the stump ground: $1,500–$4,000. Large or hazardous tree over 10 m: $5,000–$25,000+. Pruning and crown reduction to AS 4373: $800–$4,000. Stump grinding: $300–$900 a stump. AQF Level 5 arborist report: $1,500–$2,000. Land clearing: $6,000–$25,000, mulch left on site free. Council’s application fee is shown separately. More than one tree, an impact assessment for a development, or a council application add to the total. One fixed price after we have seen the tree, no call-out fee.
North Shore tree questions
Do I need council approval to remove a tree on the North Shore?
In Ku-ring-gai, for any tree 5 m or taller or with a 150 mm trunk, unless an exemption applies (within 3 m of the house, exempt species, dead branches, 10/50). Dead trees are not automatically exempt. We check and lodge.
How much does Ku-ring-gai Council charge for a tree permit?
$88 to apply to remove one tree or hedge, $44 to prune, $13 for each additional tree, non-refundable. Pensioner rates are $42 and $20.
Do I need an arborist report?
Not to lodge — Council says so. But for a large, contested or heritage tree the application is decided on the evidence, and Council requires any report to be AQF Level 5 and written to its guidelines. Ours are $1,500–$2,000.
What reasons will Council accept for removal?
A demonstrated likelihood of failure that cannot be fixed by pruning, a life expectancy under five years, and structural damage with evidence. It will not accept views, leaf or fruit drop, “too big”, or unsubstantiated fear of failure.
Can I prune my neighbour’s overhanging branches in Ku-ring-gai?
You may cut back to the boundary within the same rules that apply to your own tree — 50 mm branches and roof-line clearance without a permit, more with one. Our neighbour tree rights guide covers the law.
Who deals with trees touching the powerlines?
Branches near Ausgrid’s street lines are cleared by Ausgrid’s authorised contractors; the private service line to your house is your responsibility and work we do with authorised crews. Call Ausgrid on 13 13 88 for a line emergency.
Are you local to the North Shore?
We are based in Mortdale and work the Upper North Shore every week; our Ku-ring-gai council guide and these suburb pages are written from the jobs. The arborist who quotes is the one who writes the report and runs the crew.
What our clients say
Real reviews from Sydney clients, quoted from our Google profile. Long reviews are shortened; tap Read more for the full review on Google.
Reviews …Really great service, professional, safe and accommodating. Difficulties of access easily overcome, good people to deal withRead more
David G.October 2026Jimmy and the guys were excellent at their job—very fast and very tidy. I highly recommend them, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to use them again in the future. "True Roots" are the best.
Nomikos R.October 2026Removed 4 bunches of palm nuts and tidied everything up. Great job.
Matthew K.October 2026Jimmy and his crew were fast, efficient and professional! He was so helpful in removing a tree in our yard that was a safety hazard. I highly recommend True Roots and would not hesitate to use them again if needed.
Liz B.June 2026Jimmy and his team were excellent. Fast, reliable, well-priced and impressive work. Great to see such a good, local tree removal business and arborist in Mortdale and operating in the St George area. You will not be disappointed using these guys.
Jamie D.April 2026Great service! I liked how they cleaned up after they chopped down our tree. Efficient and very competitive pricing. I would happily book them again in the future.
Celia L.April 2026Jimmy and the two men working with him were professional, hard working and efficient with their time. They removed a large bougainvillea adjacent to the pool. I was very impressed with how well they did this, especially given how thorny it…Read more
Jan B.March 2026I recently hired True Roots to remove a large gum tree from my property, and I couldn’t be more impressed with their service. From the initial consultation to the final clean-up, the team of arborists were professional, efficient, and…Read more
Joseph2025Jimmy was amazing; right from the beginning, he was informative, professional and willing to work within our budget. We could not be happier with what he has delivered for us. We removed all our side trees and replaced them with hedges and…Read more
JJ2025Highly recommend the Team from True Roots, the boys came in and removed a Black Butt that was overhanging our house. Very competitive pricing and managed to squeeze us in. The stump was ground back and all waste was removed. Very professional and skilled workers. Will definitely use them again in the future.
Ben G.2024Highly recommend! James and the boys did an amazing job cutting down a large tree in my yard. Super professional, efficient, and left everything clean and tidy. Great service, and I’m really happy with the results. Will definitely call again for any future tree work! Thanks Andrew
Andrew M.2024Qualified, insured and accountable
- AQF Level 5 arboristDiploma of Arboriculture (AHC50524), TAFE NSW, 2024. About 15 years in arboriculture.
- ISO 9001 certifiedQuality management system certified to ISO 9001.
- $20M public liabilityPlus icare workers compensation. Certificates of currency sent with every quote.
- Australian StandardsTree pruning and trimming to AS 4373, tree protection on building sites to AS 4970.
- Indigenous-ownedOwned and operated by an Indigenous director. Registered NSW Government supplier on buy.nsw.
- 5.0 on Google71 reviews, every one from a real job. Read them.
A North Shore tree that needs a decision?
Send a few photos and your street. We tell you whether Council needs to approve it, lodge the application, and give you one fixed price.