Clearing trees and vegetation on private property

You may need Council approval before clearing or cutting trees and vegetation on your property.

Protecting natural areas and wildlife habitats is important to Council and our communities. Preserving biodiversity is essential for supporting our local wildlife and ecosystems. This helps ensure they will be around for future generations to enjoy.

Understanding vegetation clearing

Clearing means damaging or destroying vegetation. This includes:

• ring-barking (cutting bark around a tree)
• topping
• lopping
• poisoning
• burning
• flooding
• draining.

It also includes any activity or action that injures or seriously affects vegetation, such as:

• cutting down or pushing over plants or trees
• damaging roots by compacting soil, excavating, or filling within the vegetation's drip zone.

Even if a tree isn't completely removed, the work may still be classed as clearing, for example, removing the understory or thinning native vegetation. Removing dead habitat trees is also clearing. 

Tree and vegetation regulations

Council's planning scheme and state legislation regulate clearing and lopping on public and private land. This includes local and national parks, as well as habitats for threatened species. It also covers areas of native vegetation and wildlife corridors. These environmental features and areas fall into two categories: Matters of Local Environmental Significance and Matters of State Environmental Significance.

Clearing or lopping of vegetation that has local or state environmental significance may be illegal.

Matters of Local Environmental Significance (MLES)

MLES are high-value environmental features or areas important at a local level. They're any vegetation with biodiversity, cultural or heritage value. MLES includes but is not limited to:

• Habitat trees. Habitat trees are native trees with a diameter greater than 80 centimetres when measured at 1.3 metres from the ground. They provide many native animals with places to live, breed, and seek shelter. Even old or dead trees can be a habitat tree, as they can still provide important habitat for wildlife. It should be noted that trees not meeting this size may still contain multiple conspicuous hollows and provide critical habitat for local wildlife.
• Shorebird habitat areas, biodiversity areas, and land protected for environmental purposes, like providing habitat for priority species and legally secured offset areas.

Matters of State Environmental Significance (MSES)

MSES are high-value environmental features or areas that have been identified as significant at the state level. This may be for biodiversity, ecosystems, water resources, or other ecological values. MSES are often established through state legislation, regulations, or planning policies. MSES includes but is not limited to:

• Regulated vegetation. Regulated vegetation is protected vegetation that is environmentally significant to conserve biodiversity and provides essential habitat for native wildlife.
• Koala habitat areas. Koala habitat and priority areas are areas of vegetation that have been determined to contain koala habitat, which is essential for the conservation of koala populations in the wild.

Learn more in the Environmental areas and corridors planning scheme policy.

How to identify high-value areas and koala habitats

You are generally not allowed to clear or lop trees in high-value areas without approval. This includes koala habitats and priority areas. To see if your property is in a high-value area, use Council's interactive overlay mapping. Enter your property's address and check 'Environmental Areas' in the Layer List panel.

You can also request a vegetation management report. The report shows if there is regulated vegetation on your property and if it is located within a koala habitat or priority area. To request a report, you will need to provide the lot and plan number of your property. This can be found using my property lookup.

You can also access koala habitat mapping through Queensland Globe. This is an interactive map that shows various spatial layers, including matters of local and state environmental significance, such as koala habitat and koala priority areas. Enter your property’s address and add the 'Koala Plan' layer under 'Environment' in the panel list.

Know when you need approval

You won’t need Council approval if the vegetation clearing is not assessable under the planning scheme. This is called accepted development.

In most cases, clearing is considered accepted development if your property is not affected by certain zones or overlays and it meets the requirements outlined in Table 1.7.7.1 of the planning scheme.

Self-assessment checklist

Before clearing or cutting any vegetation, you should complete a self-assessment checklist. The checklist is general advice and will help you determine if your activity needs Council approval.

Complete a self-assessment checklist

Applying for approval

If the checklist shows that your vegetation clearing is assessable, you will need to apply for approval before starting any work. You can submit an operational works application through Council's Online Services.

How to apply:

• Sign in to your Online Services account. If you do not have an account, you will need to create one.
• Select 'Enquiries'.
• Search 'Operational Works' and select 'Start' under Development - Operational Works.
• Under 'Operational Works Components', select 'Vegetation Clearing'.
• Complete all the questions.

If you are unsure if you need approval or need help completing the application, contact Council.

Requirements for protecting native wildlife

To help preserve our city’s biodiversity and support local wildlife, you should avoid clearing vegetation whenever possible, even if it is allowed.

If you do clear vegetation, it must not harm native wildlife. To check if wildlife is present in the area to be cleared, you should look for nests, hollows, or animals before work starts. 

If wildlife is present in the area to be cleared, a licensed spotter catcher should be used to supervise the work. Work may need to stop until animals can be safely relocated.

Development in koala habitat areas

As more land is developed, we must all take steps to protect the natural areas koalas rely on.

Thoughtful planning and design are key to koala conservation. By keeping important habitat areas intact and managing potential risks during construction, you can help reduce the impact of development on koalas. This makes it easier for koalas to move safely through landscapes and supports their long-term survival and wellbeing.

To learn more about reducing impacts during development, read the Koala-sensitive design guideline. It supports compliance with Queensland’s environmental planning policies. It also offers practical solutions for creating koala-friendly landscapes.