Byron Bay’s Forestry Division cares for nearly 35,000 city street trees as a service to the residents of Byron Bay. The city has a trained staff of nearly 200 certified arborists that make sure all of these trees stay healthy and are cared for. Many of the city trees will be near property lines of residents and as a result, may grow to a length and begin to overhang.
The Forestry Division often gets phone calls from citizens asking if they can trim or prune the trees themselves. Maintenance on city trees by residents is limited. It is unlawful to damage, kill, or remove any tree and is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and/or a $5,000 fine. If you don’t know how to trim a tree properly, you can hire one of the many tree companies that are licensed in the city of Byron Bay but you will be responsible for the fees incurred.We recommend that you hire a professional tree company to do the work for you so you don’t cause any problems and get hurt.
If your city trees look sick and you think it needs to be removed, call our Forestry Division hotline. We will have a tree surgeon come out and do a tree inspection to determine what the appropriate course of action will be. If it’s a private tree, the city will provide a complimentary tree inspection and will provide a recommendation but ultimately it’s your choice on how you wish to proceed afterwards. Be advised that some Home Owner’s Association’s make have certain rules for tree removal. It is best to check with their administration board before you take action.
Sometimes tree roots can grow close and around sewer lines. They can’t damage the sewer pipes on their own but if there is already existing damage done to the lines, then the roots certainly can extenuate the damage even more. This is the reason behind why the Forestry Division will not remove any city trees nor will the city pay for any costs that arise from sewer line damage. We suggest you have your sewer line inspected for any possible damage before you decide to remove a tree.
Some other problems that tree roots can cause is the lifting of sidewalks and streets. Tree roots grow in all different directions and can grow quite large in diameter. This is what causes concrete to lift. If you see any sidewalks that are beginning to be pushed up by tree roots, please call the forestry division so we can come out and fix the problem.
Residents have permission to trim back any overhanging branches that are on their property but be warned that you will be help responsible for any damage caused to a neighbor’s tree because you didn’t know what you were doing. Byron Bay Forestry Division can come out and give you some basic guidance but will not do the job for you if it’s a privately owned tree. If you think that your neighbor’s tree is dead or is a safety concern, please contact us immediately.