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

Lombardy Poplar

Populus nigra 'Italica' · Salicaceae
25m
Mature height
9
Councils: no permit needed
2
Councils: exempt under a height limit
9
Councils: permit required
Lombardy Poplar (Populus nigra 'Italica') growing in Sydney
Lombardy Poplar · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Lombardy Poplar 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 tall narrow column of upright branches, quite unlike any other tree in a Sydney garden. Triangular leaves that flutter in the slightest breeze and turn clear yellow in autumn. Usually planted in rows as a screen.

Where it grows in Sydney

Planted in rows as windbreaks and screens across the Hills District, Blacktown, Hornsby Shire and larger North Shore gardens.

Common problems

  • Suckers aggressively from roots, producing new trunks across lawns and neighbouring yards
  • Roots invade drains, sewers and footings
  • Short lived, with early decay and limb failure
  • Planted in rows, so one problem is usually twenty problems

What removal involves

Exempt in most councils covered here, with Hunters Hill and Woollahra capping the exemption at 10m. The catch is suckering: removing the trunks without treating the root system produces a lawn full of new shoots for years. Price the root management, not just the felling.

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
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
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
Lane Cove
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Why do poplar suckers keep coming up after removal?

Poplar regenerates from the root system, which extends well beyond the trunk. Without stump and root treatment at the time of removal, suckers will keep appearing across the lawn and often in neighbouring yards.

Commonly confused with

Willow
Poplar is a narrow upright column, Willow weeps. Both sucker aggressively from the roots

Related species

Willow (Salix species) growing in Sydney
Willow
Salix species
Box Elder (Acer negundo) growing in Sydney
Box Elder
Acer negundo
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.

Quick facts

Botanical name
Populus nigra ‘Italica’
Also known as
Poplar
Family
Salicaceae
Origin
Europe
Mature height
15m to 25m
Canopy spread
3m to 5m
Growth rate
Very fast
Foliage
Deciduous, triangular, yellow in autumn
Typical lifespan
40 years plus
Root habit
Aggressive, suckering, water seeking
Get a Free Quote
Call 0415 463 647

Not sure where your tree stands?

Our arborists work across 20 Sydney councils every week. We will identify the species, check the rules for your address and handle the permit application if one is needed.
Get a Free Quote
Call 0415 463 647

Get A Complimentary Fast Quote