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Norfolk Island Pine

Araucaria heterophylla · Araucariaceae
45m
Mature height
0
Councils: no permit needed
0
Councils: exempt under a height limit
20
Councils: permit required
Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla) growing in Sydney
Norfolk Island Pine · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Norfolk Island Pine 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

A perfectly symmetrical tree with branches in regular horizontal tiers and a straight dominant leader. Short awl shaped needles. Distinctly different from the Bunya Pine, which has long sharp glossy leaves and enormous cones.

Where it grows in Sydney

A landmark species along the Sydney coastline through Manly, Dee Why, Collaroy, Bondi, Coogee and Cronulla, and planted in large gardens across the Eastern Suburbs and Northern Beaches.

Common problems

  • Very tall with a high canopy exposed to coastal wind
  • Branch failure and leader damage after storms
  • Heavy needle and cone drop
  • Frequently heritage listed or significant tree register listed on the coast

What removal involves

Tall, exposed and usually prominent in the streetscape, which matters as much as the arboriculture. Coastal Norfolk Island Pines are often heritage listed or on significant tree registers in Waverley, Randwick and the Northern Beaches, which lifts the approval pathway to a development application. Note that the Northern Beaches exempt list includes Bunya Pine but specifically not Norfolk Island Pine.

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
The Northern Beaches list mentions Bunya Pine. Does that include Norfolk Island Pine?

No. The exempt list names Araucaria bidwillii, the Bunya Bunya Pine, and specifically notes that Norfolk Island Pines are not included.

It lost its top in a storm. Can it be saved?

Often yes, though the symmetry will not fully recover. A new leader can be trained, or the tree can be reduced to a stable height. An arborist inspection will identify whether the remaining structure is sound.

Commonly confused with

Radiata Pine
Both tall coastal conifers. Norfolk Island Pine grows in neat horizontal tiers, Radiata is irregular and whorled

Related species

Radiata Pine (Pinus radiata) growing in Sydney
Radiata Pine
Pinus radiata
Leyland Cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii) growing in Sydney
Leyland Cypress
Cupressocyparis leylandii
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 Panthus via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Araucaria heterophylla
Also known as
Norfolk Pine
Family
Araucariaceae
Origin
Norfolk Island
Mature height
25m to 45m
Canopy spread
8m to 15m
Growth rate
Moderate
Foliage
Evergreen, short awl shaped needles in tiers
Typical lifespan
150 years plus
Root habit
Deep and wide
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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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