Tree Removal
Full removals of dead, storm-damaged or badly placed trees, including tight residential blocks.
Learn more →What gets cleared, and what stays
Land clearing here covers four fairly different jobs: cutting a house pad and access on a new block, knocking back paddock regrowth and woody weeds on a rural property, opening up a lifestyle block that has been left alone for a decade, and clearing fence lines and firebreak alignments.
What they have in common is that the limiting factor is rarely the machinery. It is what you are allowed to remove.
The approvals, plainly
In Western Australia, clearing native vegetation generally requires a permit under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 unless an exemption applies. On top of that, your local government may have its own requirements: the City of Bunbury, Shire of Capel, Shire of Busselton and Shire of Augusta-Margaret River all deal with tree and vegetation questions through planning, and many rural-residential subdivisions in the region carry retention conditions written into the original approval.
Then there are the site-specific ones. Bushfire-prone mapping drives asset protection zone requirements. Watercourse and wetland buffers apply through much of the Vasse-Wonnerup and Leschenault catchments. Some blocks carry covenants or conservation agreements. None of that is exotic — it is the normal paperwork of owning land down here.
We quote and carry out the clearing. We do not obtain approvals on your behalf, and we will not clear vegetation you have not shown us approval for. That is not us being difficult; the penalties for unlawful clearing in WA are significant and they attach to the landowner.
Method
On most blocks the work runs: mark the boundary of what is to go, drop and process the standing timber, mulch the fine material, cart or stack the useful timber, then deal with the stumps. Stump treatment is the decision that changes the price most — leaving them, grinding them, or excavating the plates out where a pad or a slab is going in.
Ground conditions dictate timing. Coastal sand blocks around Vasse and Dunsborough can be worked most of the year. Gravel and clay country inland toward Nannup and Rosa Brook turns to mud through a wet South West winter, and a machine on it does more harm than good. Late spring through autumn is the practical window for anything inland.
Clearing and fire
Most people clearing a rural block in this region are doing it at least partly for fire reasons. Clearing is only part of that: the firebreak and hazard reduction page covers what a compliant break looks like, and why ladder fuels between the grass and the canopy matter more than the number of trees.
Getting a price
Site visits are essential for clearing — nobody can price hectares from a phone call. Have the approvals or the approval question ready, know where the boundaries actually run, and think about whether the timber stays on site. The cost guide explains the factors. Ring (08) 9785 0207 or get in touch. We work across the South West.
More services
Explore our other services
Tree Lopping
Weight reduction and selective branch removal on overgrown marri, gum and peppermint.
Learn more →Tree Pruning
Crown lifting, deadwooding and clearance pruning done to keep the tree, not just cut it back.
Learn more →Stump Grinding
Grinding the stump below ground level so you can turf, pave or plant over it.
Learn more →Stump Removal
Stump and root plate dug out entirely where footings, pipes or a new build need the ground clear.
Learn more →Firebreaks & Hazard Reduction
Firebreaks, fuel-load reduction and overhanging limb work to meet your shire's annual notice.
Learn more →Emergency Storm Work
Fallen limbs, split trunks and trees on roofs after a South West front comes through.
Learn more →
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to clear native vegetation in WA?
Generally yes. Clearing native vegetation in Western Australia requires a permit under the Environmental Protection Act unless a specific exemption applies, and exemptions are narrower than most people assume. Your shire may also impose its own conditions through planning approval or a subdivision condition. Check both before you commit to a clearing date.
Can you clear a block that has a vegetation retention condition?
Only within what the condition allows. A lot of newer estates around Margaret River, Yallingup and the Vasse corridor were approved on the basis that specified trees or a percentage of canopy stays. Those conditions run with the land, so they are now yours. We will work to the approved envelope, but we cannot widen it for you.
What happens to the cleared material?
Usually mulched on site, which is the cheapest option and leaves you with material for tracks and beds. Larger timber is cut and stacked for firewood or carted off. Burning is subject to your shire's burning periods and any total fire ban, which in the South West rules it out for most of summer and often well into autumn.
How much of a block can be cleared for a house?
The building envelope and any approved access and effluent-disposal areas, plus whatever asset protection zone your bushfire attack level assessment requires. On bushfire-prone land in the South West that assessment usually drives a cleared or low-fuel zone around the house, and it is worth doing before you plan the clearing rather than after.
Free, no-obligation