• Proudly serving Homeowners, Strata, Government, Property Managers and Business Owners since 2009
Get A Free Quote

Box Elder

Acer negundo · Sapindaceae
15m
Mature height
6
Councils: no permit needed
1
Councils: exempt under a height limit
13
Councils: permit required
Box Elder (Acer negundo) growing in Sydney
Box Elder · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Box Elder is exempt in some councils and protected in others, and several exemptions carry a height limit. Check the table below against the council for your address before assuming a permit is not needed.

How to identify it

Unusual among maples for its compound leaves with three to seven leaflets rather than a single lobed leaf. Green twigs often with a blue white bloom. Hanging clusters of paired winged seeds. Frequently multi stemmed and untidy.

Where it grows in Sydney

Naturalised along creek lines and in older gardens through the North Shore, Inner West, Hornsby Shire and Ku-ring-gai.

Common problems

  • Weak brittle wood with frequent limb failure
  • Prolific seeding and seedling invasion
  • Suckers from the base and roots
  • Short lived with early decay

What removal involves

Exempt in most councils on this list, with Lane Cove capping it at 6m. Usually quick work because the timber is soft and light, though multi stemmed specimens take longer to dismantle cleanly than the size suggests.

Council permit rules, council by council

Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council’s size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.
Council
Status
What it means
Northern Beaches
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Ku-ring-gai
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Hornsby Shire
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
The Hills Shire
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Blacktown City
Permit required
Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules
North Sydney
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Willoughby
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Lane Cove
Exempt under 6m
Exempt only below 6m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
City of Ryde
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Hunters Hill
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Inner West
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Woollahra
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Waverley
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Randwick
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Bayside
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Georges River
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Strathfield
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Burwood
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Canterbury-Bankstown
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Is Box Elder the same as a Japanese Maple?

No. Japanese Maple is Acer palmatum, a small ornamental with single lobed leaves and no exemption. Box Elder has compound leaves and is on most exempt species lists.

Commonly confused with

Liquidambar
Both deciduous with lobed or divided leaves, but Box Elder is compound and Liquidambar is a single star shaped leaf

Related species

Liquidambar (Liquidambar styraciflua) growing in Sydney
Liquidambar
Liquidambar styraciflua
London Plane (Platanus x acerifolia) growing in Sydney
London Plane
Platanus x acerifolia
African Olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) growing in Sydney
African Olive
Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
Athel Tree (Tamarix aphylla) growing in Sydney
Athel Tree
Tamarix aphylla

Important note on council rules

This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by Jules Verne Times Two via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Acer negundo
Also known as
Box Elder Maple, Ash-leaved Maple
Family
Sapindaceae
Origin
North America
Mature height
8m to 15m
Canopy spread
8m to 12m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Deciduous, compound with three to seven leaflets
Typical lifespan
50 years plus
Root habit
Shallow and suckering
Get a Free Quote
Call 0415 463 647

Need council approval? We handle the application.

Most councils will not accept a removal application without species identification, photographs and a stated reason. We prepare and lodge the lot, then carry out the work once it is approved. One call, one invoice, no forms to work out yourself.
Start a permit application
Call 0415 463 647

Get A Complimentary Fast Quote