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Camphor Laurel

Cinnamomum camphora · Lauraceae
25m
Mature height
2
Councils: no permit needed
9
Councils: exempt under a height limit
9
Councils: permit required
Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) growing in Sydney
Camphor Laurel · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Camphor Laurel 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

A massive domed tree with glossy leaves that smell strongly of camphor when crushed, and pale new growth flushes in pink and bronze. Small cream flowers in spring, then clusters of small black berries. Bark is rough and vertically fissured.

Where it grows in Sydney

Naturalised and planted across the whole of Sydney. Heavy presence in the Inner West, Canterbury-Bankstown, Georges River, Ryde and older North Shore gardens.

Common problems

  • Highly invasive, spread by birds into bushland and creek lines
  • Very aggressive surface roots that crack paving, walls and pipes
  • Enormous canopy spread over neighbouring properties
  • Camphor laden leaf litter suppresses other plants

What removal involves

One of the most common removals in Sydney and one of the most variable for permits, because the exemption usually comes with a height cap. Bayside caps it at 5m, Georges River at 6m, Willoughby, Lane Cove, Hunters Hill, Ryde, City of Sydney, Woollahra and Canterbury-Bankstown at 10m, while Northern Beaches and Hornsby exempt it at any size. Measure the height before quoting.

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
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. 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
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Willoughby
Exempt under 10m
Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
Lane Cove
Exempt under 10m
Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
City of Ryde
Exempt under 10m
Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
Hunters Hill
Exempt under 10m
Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
City of Sydney
Exempt under 10m
Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
Inner West
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Woollahra
Exempt under 10m
Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. 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
Exempt under 5m
Exempt only below 5m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
Georges River
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
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
Exempt under 10m
Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
Is Camphor Laurel exempt everywhere?

No, and the height limits are what catch people out. It is exempt at any size on the Northern Beaches and in Hornsby, but capped at 5m in Bayside, 6m in Georges River and 10m in Willoughby, Lane Cove, Hunters Hill, Ryde, City of Sydney, Woollahra and Canterbury-Bankstown. Elsewhere on this list it is protected.

Will the stump regrow?

Yes, vigorously. Camphor Laurel resprouts from the stump and from roots, so stump grinding or treatment is part of the job rather than an optional extra.

Commonly confused with

Brush Box
Both big domed street and garden trees. Crush a Camphor leaf for the unmistakable scent

Related species

Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus) growing in Sydney
Brush Box
Lophostemon confertus
Chinese Hackberry (Celtis sinensis) growing in Sydney
Chinese Hackberry
Celtis sinensis
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 Calistemon via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Cinnamomum camphora
Also known as
Camphor Tree
Family
Lauraceae
Origin
China, Japan and Taiwan
Mature height
15m to 25m
Canopy spread
15m to 25m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Evergreen, glossy, camphor scented when crushed
Typical lifespan
150 years plus
Root habit
Very aggressive, shallow and wide
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