Usually, yes. Lilydale falls within Yarra Ranges Shire, where a planning permit is generally required to remove a tree from private property unless a planning permit exemption applies. Dead trees are not automatically exempt, which catches a lot of people out, and overlays on the title can change the answer from one property to the next. 

Cost depends on the size and condition of the tree, how close it sits to buildings and services, what access is like for the truck and chipper, how much material is carted away and whether the stump is being ground out. A site visit is the only accurate way to assess the job and provide a clear quote.

It only applies to properties in a designated Bushfire Prone Area where the home was built, or its permit issued, before 10 September 2009. If eligible, the rule allows clearing within 10 metres of the home and other vegetation within 30 metres without a planning permit. A separate allowance covers clearing along an existing boundary fence, up to a combined width of four metres. Check your address using the council’s online mapping before relying on the exemption.

Yes. Trusted Tree Services carries $10 million public liability cover along with WorkCover insurance for all staff. Any tree company should be able to produce a certificate of currency before starting work, and if one cannot, treat it as a red flag. It is what stands between you and the bill if something goes wrong on your property.

Yes, and it is one of the most common jobs on estate blocks around Lilydale where there is simply no room to drop a tree whole. The work is done by climbing the tree and dismantling it in stages, lowering each piece on ropes rather than letting it fall. The approach is worked out at the site visit once the access and the surrounding structures have been assessed.

Yes. Stump grinding can be included with the removal or quoted separately if you decide later, and doing both in the one visit is usually the easier path. The main constraint is machine access, since the grinder needs a clear run to the stump. Grinding takes out the bulk of the stump below ground level so the area can be reused.

Yes, and clean-up is part of the job rather than an extra line on the invoice. Branches are chipped on site, and the quote will spell out whether all material is being taken away. Logwood can be cut into rounds and left for firewood, and mulch can stay for the garden if you would like it.

Yes. Emergency call-outs run 24 hours, and urgent hazards are prioritised ahead of routine work. The team has completed over a thousand emergency storm clearance jobs and works regularly with insurers on make-safe callouts. Sometimes the site is made safe on the night and the balance of the work is completed on a return visit.

Anywhere from about an hour to several days. A modest tree with clear access can be done and cleaned up in a morning, while a large gum needing staged dismantling over a house can take a full day or more. You will get a realistic estimate at the quote, and if the job runs across more than one day you will know that upfront.

A tree on private land that poses a risk to a neighbouring property is generally a matter between the two property owners. Start by speaking with your neighbour and consider having the tree assessed by a qualified arborist in Lilydale so there’s a clear understanding of the risk. You can usually prune growth that overhangs your boundary back to the property line, but you can’t enter your neighbour’s property or work on their tree without permission.