Tree Service Merewether NSW
Qualified Arborists
Tree Removal, Lopping, Pruning & Stump Grinding | Serving Newcastle & The Hunter
Book an appointmentShane’s Trees are a fully qualified & iso certified tree removal company
Your trees are always growing.. and that’s a good thing. They look good and smell good.
As you’ve probably noticed though, this continually growth cause other issues at your property. Blocking walkways, growing against the house, branches becoming dangerously situated in storms and high winds, interfering with power lines, blocking sunlight the list goes on. In some cases, this makes our customers feel unsafe or gives them anxiety.
Located just a short drive from Merewether, Shane’s Trees has specialised in safe and effective tree management including complete removal, branch and vegetation pruning, trimming and lopping, Stump Grinding and removal and tree waste removal for the past 40 years.
Real Google Reviews
We have literally got hundreds of genuinely satisfied customers….
Call Us
0480 440 009Why Choose Shane’s Trees
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Qualified arborists on every job Our arborists hold a Certificate III in Arboriculture — the recognised trade qualification for tree work in Australia. Its not just a piece of paper either. It means the person working on your property actually knows what they’re doing, follows safe work practices, and treats your trees properly rather than just hacking at them til the job looks done.
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Local Newcastle Knowledge
We know the trees that grow around Merewether and the Newcastle coast. Salt air does a number on some species, and coastal properties have their own set of problems you don’t see further inland. We also know how Newcastle storms can hit — a big summer storm rolling in off the coast can drop branches fast, and having your trees looked at before the season starts is a lot cheaper than dealing with damage after. We help locals get ahead of it.
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Help & Advice With Council Approvals
Newcastle City Council has its own rules around which trees can be removed and which ones need an application before anyone touches them. Its more complicated than most people expect and the fines for getting it wrong aren’t small. We can help you figure out what approvals apply to your Merewether property and what the process looks like before any work starts.
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Fast Quotes If you’ve got a tree thats a problem right now — leaning, cracked, sitting on your roof — waiting weeks for someone to come look at it isn’t an option. We do our best to get quotes turned around fast. Same day is possible in a lot of cases, 24 hours for most others. It depends on how booked we are and where your located, but we always try to get there as quick as we can.
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Full Clean Up On Every Job We don’t leave the mess for you to deal with. Every job includes removing the branches, leaves, and debris from your property when we’re done. If you want to keep the wood for a firepit or fireplace just let us know and we’ll leave it in a spot that works for you. Either way, your yard should look better when we leave than it did when we showed up.
Our Merewether Tree Services
Shane’s Trees are one of the fastest growing tree services on the east coast who provide tree lopping, pruning, maintenance, tree stump removal, palm tree removal and maintenance, arborists reports and more across the north coast of New South Wales.
Learn more about our tree service below:
Tree Removal
Dead trees, storm-damaged trees, trees that are just in the wrong spot — we remove them all. Big or small, we use rigging and the right gear to bring them down without causing damage to your property. Merewether’s coastal conditions are tough on trees, and root damage to pipes and sandstone footings is more common than people expect around here. If a tree’s got to go, we’ll get it done safely.
Tree Lopping & Pruning
There’s a right way and a wrong way to prune a tree. Done properly it improves structure, lets light through and actually helps the tree live longer. Done wrong and you’re looking at disease entry points and weak regrowth. We remove dead wood, open up crowns and shape trees to handle wind load better — important in a coastal suburb that cops a battering when an east coast low rolls in. All work is done to Australian pruning standards and City of Newcastle guidelines.
Stump Grinding & Removal
Once a tree’s gone the stump doesn’t have to stay. We grind them down below ground level so the area’s usable again — whether you want to turf it, garden it or plant something new. Left alone, old stumps rot slowly and become a magnet for termites, which is the last thing any Newcastle homeowner needs. Wood chips can be spread as mulch or we’ll take them with us, your call.
Palm Tree Removal
Palms look great until they don’t. Old fronds drop without much warning and a large frond landing on a car or someone walking past is no joke. We’ve removed plenty of palms across Merewether and the surrounding Newcastle suburbs. The height on mature palms and the tight access on a lot of blocks around here means it’s not a job for a ladder and a mate.
Tree Maintenance & Trimming
Keeping on top of trees regularly is cheaper than dealing with the fallout when something fails. We work with strata managers and commercial property owners to set up ongoing maintenance schedules so nothing gets out of hand. Trees pushing into power lines, scraping roofs or hanging over driveways get dealt with before they become a liability. Residential customers are welcome too — plenty of our clients just book us once or twice a year to keep things tidy.
Arborist Reports
If you’re dealing with a council application, a development proposal or an insurance claim, you’ll likely need a written report from a qualified arborist. We assess tree health and structural condition, identify any risks, and put together detailed reports that meet City of Newcastle’s requirements under DCP 2023. Turnaround is usually pretty quick — give us a call and we can let you know what’s involved for your situation.
Land & Brush Clearing
Overgrown blocks, pre-construction clearing, invasive species taking over — we handle it. Properties along the Merewether ridge and near the Glenrock bushland boundary need a bit more care around what gets cleared and what doesn’t — we know the local rules and work within them. From small suburban blocks to larger sites, we’ll get it done properly.
Call Us
0480 440 009Find Us in Hexham, Newcastle NSW
Located on Old Maitland Rd.
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 Merewether Tree Services
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. City of Newcastle has a few situations where you don’t need a permit. The main ones are: the tree is within 3 metres of the wall of your house (measured from the trunk to the building footings), the trunk circumference is under 450mm at chest height for a single trunk tree, it’s dead and not being used by hollow-dependent wildlife, or it’s a declared noxious weed. Anything outside those exemptions and you’re going to need a permit — and under the updated DCP 2023 rules that kicked in March 2024, you’ll also need a written report from a qualified arborist (AQF Level 5 minimum) before council will even look at your application. We deal with this stuff all the time and can walk you through where your tree sits before you do anything.
They’re not small. Newcastle Council takes this seriously. An on-the-spot fine from council can be $3,000. If it goes to the Local Court you’re looking at up to $100,000. And if the Land and Environment Court gets involved, penalties can reach $1.1 million. It sounds extreme but it does happen, especially with bigger trees or anything near bushland. Merewether properties that back onto Glenrock State Conservation Area need to be particularly careful — there’s critically endangered littoral rainforest in that park and any clearing near that boundary can bring in a whole different set of rules on top of council’s. Not worth the risk. Give us a call first and we’ll let you know where you stand.
It can, yeah. Glenrock State Conservation Area runs right along the southern edge of Merewether and into Dudley, and it’s home to some nationally protected vegetation — including remnant littoral rainforest that’s listed as critically endangered. If you’ve got native trees growing along that boundary, or anything that connects to the bush corridor, there may be state-level protections on top of what Newcastle Council already requires. The Biodiversity Conservation Act 2021 can come into play here, which is a different kettle of fish to your standard permit. Best thing to do is get a qualified arborist out to assess it before anything gets touched. We’ve worked with plenty of properties along Scenic Drive and the Merewether ridge — it’s not always as straightforward as it looks.
Not exactly, but there are still rules. If a storm has caused a sudden change to the tree’s structure and it’s posing an immediate risk to life or property, you can go ahead with removal. The catch is you need to photograph everything before touching it, document the damage, and then submit a Storm Damage Tree Removal Form to City of Newcastle within 5 working days of the removal. Merewether gets its share of coastal storms and we’ve handled plenty of emergency jobs after east coast lows come through. We know the process and can take care of the paperwork side of it too.
For most pruning on private land, you don’t need a permit. But there are limits. If the tree is taller than 5 metres, a Tree Pruning Specification form has to be filled out by an AQF Level 3 arborist before work starts, and the actual pruning needs to be done by a minimum Level 2 qualified arborist. You’re also only allowed to remove up to 10% of the live canopy at a time. No topping. Topping a tree doesn’t just look bad — it causes long-term structural problems and Newcastle Council’s guidelines are pretty clear on it. We’ll prune it properly so the tree stays healthy and you stay on the right side of the rules.
The NSW Rural Fire Service 10/50 Vegetation Clearing Scheme lets property owners in designated bushfire-prone areas remove trees within 10 metres of their home without needing council approval. Merewether is mostly a coastal suburb so a lot of it isn’t in a 10/50 entitlement area — but properties on the higher western parts near bushland or along the Glenrock fringe might be. You can check your specific address using the RFS online tool at rfs.nsw.gov.au. If your property does fall within the 10/50 zone, it’s worth knowing about because it can save you the permit process in some situations. We can help you figure out what applies to your block.
Not necessarily, but you’ve got to be careful how you go about it. Dead trees are exempt from the permit process under Newcastle’s rules — but only if the tree isn’t being used as a habitat by hollow-dependent wildlife. Before you touch it, you need to take clear photos showing the tree in context, including its relationship to your house and other structures, and keep that evidence on file for at least two years in case council asks. If the tree shows any signs of wildlife use — scratches around hollows, nesting activity, that sort of thing — it’s a different situation and removal may still need approval. We can assess it for you and make sure everything’s documented correctly before we get started.
Call Us
0480 440 009Below are driving directions to reach us from Merewether, Adamstown & New Lambton.
Discover the quickest routes to reach our location from the Surrounding Areas of greater Newcastle on the NSW North Coast.
What Newcastle 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 Merewether 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.
