How do you know if you need a permit?
Basically, if your trees are in a biodiversity or koala corridor or an environmental management and conservation area, you might not be able to remove them at all. The problem is that you need to find out whether this applies to your property and there are three ways to do this.
The first way is to ask Don, our professional arborist at Kiwi Tree Lopping, who will be able to give you the right advice about obtaining tree removal permits in Logan. The second option is to ring the council and find someone who can answer your questions, whilst the third option is to find this information out for yourself.
If you prefer the third option or you’re just interested to know how you can discover the information yourself, here’s what you need to do.
Go to the Logan Planning Scheme 2015 page on the Logan website.
At the top of the screen, type in the address of the property where you want to remove or lop trees.
Once the page has opened up, look at the map tools on the right hand side of the page. Click on Overlays (Part 8) followed by OM-02.01 Vegetation Management Areas. You can also click on OM-02.02 Biodiversity Corridor, OM-02.02 Koala Corridor, OM-02.02 Environmental Management and Conservation Area and OM-14 Waterway Corridor Wetland.
Anything shown in light pink on the Vegetation Management Areas map is considered to be primary vegetation and means that all native vegetation in these areas is protected. Anything shown in light green is considered to be secondary vegetation and protects native trees greater than 4m tall or with a trunk that’s 31.5cm or greater (measured 1.3m from the ground). So it’s very clear whether or not you can remove or lop trees and whether you do or don’t need to apply for tree removal permits in Logan.
This means that if it’s located in the Vegetation Management Areas and is either light pink or light green then you need to apply to the council for a permit. There are exemptions, however, that might let you clear the land, remove or lop protected trees. You will still need to apply to council for a permit, but it can make the outcome more positive if you believe you fulfill the exemption criteria.
It’s also important to note that you can’t remove, cut down or lop a dead tree if it is providing a nest for a possum or other protected species. These trees can be protected by a VPO (Vegetation Protection Order) and issued by the council. You can be fined if you damage these trees, even if it’s causing problems on your land. Check the Queensland Heritage Register for VPOs on your land and contact the council, because you might be able to overturn a VPO by going through QCAT.
