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Willow

Salix species · Salicaceae
20m
Mature height
14
Councils: no permit needed
0
Councils: exempt under a height limit
6
Councils: permit required
Willow (Salix species) growing in Sydney
Willow · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Willow sits on the exempt species list in 14 of the 20 councils Pro Climbing Tree Services covers, so in most of Sydney it can be removed without a permit. Heritage listings and significant tree registers still override that.

How to identify it

Long slender weeping branches with narrow leaves, usually beside water. Bark is grey and deeply furrowed on older trunks. Broken twigs root readily in damp soil.

Where it grows in Sydney

Along creeks, dams and drainage lines through the Hills District, Blacktown, Hornsby Shire and Georges River, and as garden specimens near ponds and pools across Sydney.

Common problems

  • Listed as a Weed of National Significance
  • Roots seek out and block sewer and stormwater lines
  • Chokes waterways and alters creek flow
  • Brittle limbs and rapid regrowth from any cut material

What removal involves

Exempt in most of the councils covered here and often actively encouraged for removal as a weed of national significance. The practical issues are wet ground access, very large volumes of light material and the need to remove rather than mulch cut wood, because willow strikes from fragments.

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
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
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
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 Sydney
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
Inner West
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
Woollahra
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
Waverley
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
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
Do I need approval to remove a willow?

Usually not. Willow is exempt in Northern Beaches, Hornsby, North Sydney, Willoughby, Lane Cove, Ryde, Hunters Hill, City of Sydney, Inner West, Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick, Georges River and Canterbury-Bankstown. Work in or near a watercourse can trigger separate controls, so check if the tree is on a creek line.

Will removing the willow fix my blocked sewer?

It removes the source but not the existing damage. Pipe inspection and relining is usually still required.

Commonly confused with

Lombardy Poplar
Both fast, short lived, water seeking and prone to invading drains

Related species

Lombardy Poplar (Populus nigra 'Italica') growing in Sydney
Lombardy Poplar
Populus nigra 'Italica'
Athel Tree (Tamarix aphylla) growing in Sydney
Athel Tree
Tamarix aphylla
African Olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) growing in Sydney
African Olive
Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
Bamboo (Bambusa and Phyllostachys species) growing in Sydney
Bamboo
Bambusa and Phyllostachys species

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
Salix species
Also known as
Weeping Willow, Salix babylonica
Family
Salicaceae
Origin
Asia and Europe
Mature height
10m to 20m
Canopy spread
10m to 20m
Growth rate
Very fast
Foliage
Deciduous, long and narrow, weeping habit
Typical lifespan
50 years plus
Root habit
Extremely aggressive and water seeking
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No permit needed? Then we can book it in now.

Exempt species still need to come down safely, and several councils want notice or a fee free permit lodged first. We check that for your address, handle any paperwork, and quote the removal, stump grinding and clean up together.
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