Tree Service Dapto NSW
Qualified Arborists
Serving Wollongong & the Greater Illawarra with Tree Removal, Lopping, Pruning & Stump Grinding.
Book an appointmentShane’s Trees are a fully qualified & iso certified tree removal company
We’re a local tree service covering Dapto and the surrounding Illawarra region. From small backyard trees to large natives close to structures, we handle it all — and we offer free quotes before any work begins.
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0437 726 726Our Dapto Tree Services
Shane’s Trees is one of the fastest growing tree services on the east coast. We provide tree lopping, pruning, maintenance, tree stump removal, palm tree removal and maintenance, arborists reports and more across the South coast of New South Wales.
Learn more about our tree service below:
Tree Removal
We remove all types of trees across Dapto and the wider Wollongong LGA — small ornamentals, large gums, anything growing near fences, powerlines or buildings.
Before work starts, it helps to know where you stand with council. Under the Wollongong Development Control Plan 2009 (Chapter E17), any tree on private land that’s 5 metres or taller — or has a trunk wider than 30cm at the base — needs a Tree Management Permit to be removed. That includes dead and dying trees, not just healthy ones.
Some species are exempt, and some situations can go through a development consent pathway instead. We’ll tell you what applies to your property before anything gets started, so there are no surprises.
Once approvals are in order, we handle the full job — sectional removal where access is tight, full fell where space allows — and we clean up all green waste before we leave.
Tree Lopping & Pruning
Sometimes a tree doesn’t need to come down, it just needs to be cut back. Lopping is the right call when a tree has outgrown its space or is causing issues with overhanging branches, roof clearance or sight lines.
We do crown reduction and selective limb removal to bring trees back to size without compromising their structure. All work is done to Australian Standard AS 4373 — the standard Wollongong Council requires for approved pruning on protected trees.
If a removal permit has been knocked back by council, a well-planned lopping job is often a workable alternative.
A good prune every few years keeps trees healthy, lowers the chance of branches coming down in a storm, and generally keeps your property looking tidy. We prune all types — native and exotic, ornamental and large canopy.
All pruning meets Australian Standard AS 4373. For protected trees in the Wollongong LGA, council requires this as a condition of any approved work. It also just means the job is done properly — clean cuts, correct technique, less stress on the tree.
We cover Dapto, Koonawarra, Horsley, Unanderra and the surrounding area, including properties near the Illawarra Escarpment where large established natives are common.
Stump Grinding & Removal
Once a tree is out, the stump can be ground down below ground level and backfilled, leaving a flat surface ready for lawn, garden beds or paving. Most stumps take under an hour depending on size and position.
Stump grinding is available on its own or as part of a removal job.
One thing worth knowing — Wollongong Council’s tree replacement policy requires a new tree to be planted on the property, or a payment made into the council’s urban greening fund, any time a permitted tree is removed. We let our customers know about this upfront so it doesn’t come as a surprise after the job is done.
Palm Tree Removal
Palms are common across Dapto and the Illawarra, but they’re a different beast to remove. Mature Cocos Palms and Date Palms get tall, the trunks are heavy, and the material doesn’t chip like regular green waste.
We work top-down in sections where height is a factor and handle disposal on-site or take everything away. We do large palm removals and smaller ornamental palms alike.
Tree Maintenance & Trimming
Regular maintenance is usually the most cost-effective way to manage trees long-term. We do crown cleaning, deadwood removal, formative pruning for younger trees and general health checks.
Catching problems early — disease, structural issues, root conflicts — is nearly always cheaper than a removal job down the track. We work with residential and commercial properties across Dapto and can set up ongoing schedules for property managers and strata.
Arborist Reports
An arborist report is a written assessment of a tree carried out by a qualified arborist. Wollongong Council requires one for most Tree Management Permit applications, and they’re also commonly needed for development applications, insurance claims, disputes between neighbours, and pre-purchase property inspections.
We prepare reports that meet council requirements and Australian Standard AS 4373. A report typically covers the species, health, structure and risk rating of a tree, along with a recommendation — whether that’s removal, pruning, monitoring or retention.
If you’re not sure whether you need a report or just a quote, give us a call and we’ll point you in the right direction.
Land & Brush Clearing
Got a block that needs clearing before a build, or a paddock that’s been let go and taken over with scrub? We do land and brush clearing for residential and rural properties across the Dapto area.
This covers everything from overgrown fence lines and established scrub through to full block clearance ahead of construction or landscaping. We use the right equipment for the job — what works on a small suburban block isn’t what you want on a half-acre of regrowth.
If native vegetation is involved, clearing may need to be assessed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act or Wollongong’s DCP before work starts. We can talk you through that before any machinery goes near the site.
The tree work we carry out in Wollongong and the Illawarra, are inline with council guidelines and best practices. You can learn more about pruning or removing trees in the city of Wollongong on the council website by using this link.
Call Us
0437 726 726Find Us in Wollongong, Illawarra NSW
Located on Corrimal St.
Opening Hours
- Mon 07:00 – 16:00
- Tue 07:00 – 16:00
- Wed 07:00 – 16:00
- Thu 07:00 – 16:00
- Fri 07:00 – 16:00
- Sat Closed
- Sun Closed
FAQ’s about our Dapto Tree Services
It depends on the tree. Wollongong City Council protects trees that are over 5 metres tall or have a trunk wider than 30cm at ground level — those need a permit before anything happens to them. Smaller trees on the exempt species list can be removed without approval, though you can only take out up to five exempt trees at a time. If you’re not sure what species you’ve got or how it measures up, that’s exactly the kind of thing we sort out before we ever pick up a chainsaw. Getting it wrong can be a costly exercise — permits aside, the fines for illegal removal in NSW are serious. Give us a call and we’ll check it for you.
You lodge an application online with Wollongong City Council and pay the relevant fee upfront — they won’t process it without payment. Once it’s in, a council officer will come and inspect the tree on site, so make sure it’s clearly tagged with something visible like bright tape or ribbon. The whole process can take around 28 working days, so if you’ve got a project or build coming up, factor that in early. There’s also a replanting requirement — for every tree removed you’ll either need to plant a replacement on your property, or pay a fee that goes into the council’s greening fund. If you live in a low canopy suburb, council will actually give you two free replacement trees from the Wollongong Botanic Garden’s Greenplan nursery when your permit comes through.
If a tree is posing an immediate risk to people or property after a storm, emergency works can go ahead without waiting for a permit. But you need to move quickly on the paperwork side. Take clear photos of the tree before touching it — show the damage, the relationship to your house and any structures, and what’s actually failed. You then have 72 hours from the time of removal to lodge a permit application with Wollongong Council for any further works needed. The Illawarra gets its share of storms rolling in off the coast and down from the escarpment, and we’ve handled plenty of emergency call-outs across Dapto. We know the process and can handle the documentation alongside the job so nothing gets missed.
West Dapto is one of the fastest-growing residential areas in NSW and there’s a lot of new development happening out there. The key thing to know is that you cannot clear trees before your development application is approved — doing so puts you in breach of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and can seriously complicate your DA down the track. Any tree removal tied to a development needs to be included in the DA itself, not handled separately as a tree permit. If your site has native vegetation or falls near any of the wildlife corridors in the area, additional environmental assessments may be required. We work with developers and owner-builders across the West Dapto growth corridor regularly and can help make sure the arborist side of your project is properly scoped from the start.
A few, yeah. The Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area extends down to West Dapto and contains significant bushland and wildlife habitat. Properties that back onto or sit near the escarpment fringe may be dealing with vegetation that falls under state park protections rather than just standard council rules. There are also heritage-listed properties in the Dapto area — including places like Avondale, Cleveland and Horsley in West Dapto — and trees that form part of a heritage item or are within a heritage conservation area need a different approval pathway altogether. If your property has any heritage overlay or is near the escarpment boundary, it’s worth getting proper advice before any works start.
Yes, Wollongong Council requires replacement planting for any tree removed under a permit. If you’ve got space on your property and want to replant, your permit entitles you to pick up a tree from the Greenplan Plant Sales at Wollongong Botanic Garden. If you’re in one of the council’s identified low canopy suburbs you’ll get two trees. If you can’t plant on your own block, you pay an additional fee and council plants the replacement on public land in a suburb that needs it. It’s a pretty reasonable system and we can factor it into the planning when we’re scoping the job — including making sure whatever goes in actually suits the space so you’re not back in the same situation in 15 years.
Yes, it can. Properties near Mullet Creek, Dapto Creek or the foreshore areas of Lake Illawarra may fall within or near SEPP14 designated wetland boundaries. Any tree within 100 metres of one of those boundaries has an extra layer of consideration on top of the standard council permit process. The lake’s foreshore and the riparian corridors running into it support significant vegetation that’s protected under both state and federal environmental law. It doesn’t automatically mean you can’t touch anything, but it does mean you need to know what you’re dealing with before you start. We can assess the tree and the site and let you know what’s involved before you commit to anything.
Call Us
0437 726 726Below are driving directions to reach us from Dapto, Horsley and Koonawarra.
Reach Shane’s Trees from the Surrounding Areas of greater Wollongong on the NSW South Coast.
What Dapto residents Say
“Great customer service, friendly team
Arrived on time, did a great job cutting the tree, area left spotless. Would recommend to anyone that needs tree removal”
Get A Free Dapto Tree Removal Quote below
One of our friendly team members will get back to you before you can say ‘timber’!
Some factors that might affect your quote…
The size of your tree. Generally, the bigger it is, the longer it takes to remove – and the more space vegetation takes up in our trucks!
Ease of access. Trees around properties with steep embankments are often difficult to load onto vehicles.
Equipment needed. Certain projects require the use of barges, cranes and even helicopters which may be reflected in your quote.
