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Moreton Bay Fig

Ficus macrophylla · Moraceae
35m
Mature height
0
Councils: no permit needed
0
Councils: exempt under a height limit
20
Councils: permit required
Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla) growing in Sydney
Moreton Bay Fig · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Moreton Bay Fig is a protected tree in effectively every council Pro Climbing Tree Services covers. Expect to need a tree permit, or a development application where the property is heritage listed or in a heritage conservation area.

How to identify it

An immense spreading tree with huge glossy leaves up to 250mm long, dark green above and rusty brown beneath. Massive buttress roots at the base and frequently aerial roots from the limbs. Purple spotted figs in autumn.

Where it grows in Sydney

Planted in parks, on estates and in older large gardens across the Eastern Suburbs, Woollahra, City of Sydney, Hunters Hill and the Lower North Shore. Rarely appropriate in a suburban garden but often there anyway.

Common problems

  • The largest root system of any tree commonly found in Sydney gardens
  • Buttress roots lift walls, driveways, pools and footings
  • Canopy spread frequently exceeds the property boundary
  • Almost always heritage or significant tree register listed when mature

What removal involves

The most heavily protected tree on this list. Mature Moreton Bay Figs are landmark trees and removal generally requires a development application supported by engineering and arboricultural evidence, not a simple tree permit. Excluded from the Northern Beaches Ficus exemption. Where removal is approved, the volume of material and root mass make it a major project.

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
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. 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
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. 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
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
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 Ryde
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. 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
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
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
Can a Moreton Bay Fig ever be removed?

Yes, but rarely, and usually only where there is demonstrated structural failure risk or severe damage evidenced by an engineer as well as an arborist. Expect a development application rather than a permit for a mature specimen.

It is cracking my sandstone wall. What are my options?

Root pruning with an arborist supervising, root barriers, and rebuilding the wall around the root plate are all commonly approved options that councils prefer over removal.

Commonly confused with

Port Jackson Fig
Port Jackson has smaller rusty backed leaves. Both are heavily protected and often significant tree listed

Related species

Port Jackson Fig (Ficus rubiginosa) growing in Sydney
Port Jackson Fig
Ficus rubiginosa
Rubber Tree (Ficus elastica) growing in Sydney
Rubber Tree
Ficus elastica
Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina) growing in Sydney
Weeping Fig
Ficus benjamina
Bangalow Palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) growing in Sydney
Bangalow Palm
Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

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 Codex via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Ficus macrophylla
Family
Moraceae
Origin
Native to eastern Australia
Mature height
20m to 35m
Canopy spread
25m to 45m
Growth rate
Moderate to fast
Foliage
Evergreen, very large, glossy, leathery
Typical lifespan
300 years plus
Root habit
Enormous buttress and lateral root system
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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.
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