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Radiata Pine

Pinus radiata · Pinaceae
35m
Mature height
1
Councils: no permit needed
0
Councils: exempt under a height limit
19
Councils: permit required
Radiata Pine (Pinus radiata) growing in Sydney
Radiata Pine · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Radiata 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

Needles in bundles of three, a coarse fissured dark bark and large woody cones that persist on the branches for years. Usually a tall upright tree with whorled branches.

Where it grows in Sydney

Planted as windbreaks and in larger gardens across the Hills District, Hornsby Shire, Blacktown and the outer North Shore, and self seeding into bushland from those plantings.

Common problems

  • Shallow roots and great height make it prone to windthrow
  • Heavy needle litter that acidifies soil and blocks gutters
  • Significant fire load close to buildings
  • Self seeds into bushland reserves

What removal involves

Exempt on the Northern Beaches, where Pinus species are named on the exempt list, and protected elsewhere subject to the size thresholds. Height and windthrow risk make it a common storm damage call out. Large volumes of low value timber and a shallow wide root plate to deal with.

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
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
A pine fell in the last storm. Are the others at risk?

Radiata Pine is shallow rooted and grows tall quickly, so a failure in a row of pines is often a sign the group is exposed. An arborist inspection of the remaining trees is worth doing before the next big blow.

Commonly confused with

Leyland Cypress
Pine has needles in bundles of three and large woody cones, Leylandii has flat scale like sprays

Related species

Leyland Cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii) growing in Sydney
Leyland Cypress
Cupressocyparis leylandii
Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla) growing in Sydney
Norfolk Island Pine
Araucaria heterophylla
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 David Baron from Palo Alto, California, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Pinus radiata
Also known as
Monterey Pine
Family
Pinaceae
Origin
California
Mature height
20m to 35m
Canopy spread
8m to 15m
Growth rate
Very fast
Foliage
Evergreen needles in bundles of three
Typical lifespan
80 years plus
Root habit
Shallow and wide
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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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