Local arborists for Canterbury-Bankstown and the south-west, with a yard in Bankstown.
Tree removal, pruning, stumps and storm work across Canterbury-Bankstown and the south-west, by a Sydney family business since 2004. Two AQF Level 5 consulting arborists who know Canterbury-Bankstown's tree rules, and a crew based nearby.
- Based in Bankstown
- Since 2004
- AQF Level 5 arborists
- $20 million insured
- Answered after hours
- 22+ yrsArborists since 2004
- AQF 5Two consulting arborists
- $20mPublic liability insurance
- RFSVolunteer Deputy Captain and trainer on the team
- TAFEChainsaw operations teacher on staff
- 5.0★Google rating (22 reviews)
Removals and pruning in Bankstown, from one local crew
Removals and pruning are most of what we do. The same people quote the job, do it and clean up.
Tree removal
Whole trees taken down in sections over roofs, pools and fences, by climbers, EWP or crane, chipped and cleared. We tell you first whether Canterbury-Bankstown needs a permit.
Tree removal →Pruning and trimming
Deadwooding, crown thinning, weight reduction and clearance from roofs, gutters and service wires, to AS 4373. Never lopping. Most of what we do.
Pruning →Stump grinding
Stumps ground 300–400 mm below ground, ready for turf, a garden bed or paving. Anyone's stump, quoted from a photo.
Palms and hedges
Cocos and date palms removed fronds, trunk and all; lilly pilly, murraya and conifer hedges reduced and shaped.
Storm and emergency work
Fallen trees and hanging limbs made safe first, then removed and cleaned up, with photos and an itemised invoice for your insurer. Phones answered after hours.
Canterbury-Bankstown council rules
Trees 5 m or taller are protected (any size on heritage, biodiversity-mapped or foreshore land). We know the exemptions and the fee, and our AQF Level 5 consulting arborist writes the report if council asks for one.
The rules →We know what City of Canterbury Bankstown will and won't allow
In Canterbury-Bankstown, a private tree generally needs a council permit only if it is 5 m or taller, and trees within 3 m of the wall of your house, fruit trees and a long list of exempt species can be removed without asking. You can also prune up to 10% of a native tree's crown (20% for an exotic) each year without a permit. Trees on heritage, biodiversity-mapped or foreshore land are protected at any size.
Council's application fee is $115 for a tree permit application (1 to 10 trees, 2026/27), paid to council. We tell you which rule applies to your tree before you spend a cent on an application, and if council wants an arborist report, Joshua Baber (AQF Level 5) writes it.
Quick check
- Protected: Trees 5 m or taller are protected (any size on heritage, biodiversity-mapped or foreshore land)
- Pruning without a permit: Without a permit you may selectively prune up to 10% of the crown of a native tree, or 20% of an exotic tree, in any 12-month period, as long as no branch removed is over 150 mm in diameter and the work follows AS 4373.
- Trees within 3 m of the external wall of an approved dwelling (not a granny flat, garage, shed, deck or verandah), measured from the wall to the centre of the trunk.
- Trees on the Tree Management Order exempt species list, and plants declared weeds under the Biosecurity Act.
- Recognised horticultural varieties of trees grown for fruit.
City of Canterbury Bankstown; checked 30 September 2026.
Every suburb in City of Canterbury Bankstown
Canterbury-Bankstown runs from the Cooks River suburbs of Earlwood and Canterbury through Bankstown, Greenacre and Yagoona to the Georges River foreshore at Picnic Point, Padstow Heights and East Hills, where big river gums and casuarinas overhang steep blocks. Street-tree suburbs mean lots of pruning for clearance, and the council's 5 m rule means smaller trees need no permit at all.
Ashbury · Bankstown · Bass Hill · Belfield · Belmore · Birrong · Campsie · Canterbury · Chester Hill · Chullora · Clemton Park · Condell Park · Earlwood · East Hills · Georges Hall · Greenacre · Hurlstone Park · Kingsgrove · Lakemba · Lansdowne · Milperra · Mount Lewis · Narwee · Padstow · Padstow Heights · Panania · Picnic Point · Potts Hill · Punchbowl · Revesby · Revesby Heights · Riverwood · Roselands · Sefton · Villawood · Wiley Park · Yagoona
Each suburb has its own page on our main website, with its council rules, bush fire and canopy facts.
Bankstown locals, properly qualified
Tree lopping is an unregulated trade: anyone with a ute and a chainsaw can call themselves an arborist. Here is what ours actually hold.
- 22 years in business. Above All Tree Services has been a family business since 2004, now seven full-time staff plus casual crew, with cranes and elevated work platforms for the hardest jobs.
- Two AQF Level 5 consulting arborists. Wayne Back and Joshua Baber hold the Diploma of Horticulture (Arboriculture), the qualification councils ask for when they want a "consulting arborist"; Josh writes the arborist reports councils ask for.
- Wayne teaches chainsaw operations at TAFE NSW part-time, and is a volunteer Deputy Captain and trainer with the NSW Rural Fire Service.
- Licensed for the dangerous bits: elevated work platforms over 11 m, Electrical Close Approach for work near service lines, and rail, ARTC and Sydney Airport inductions.
- $20 million public liability, $10 million professional indemnity and workers compensation. Ask any contractor for their certificate of currency; we'll hand you ours.
- Four bases across Sydney (Engadine, Ryde, Gordon, Bankstown), trusted by Bayside Council, strata managers and schools, and we call back almost as soon as your request comes in.
Questions people ask us
Do I need council permission to remove a tree in Canterbury-Bankstown?
In Canterbury-Bankstown, a private tree generally needs a council permit only if it is 5 m or taller, and trees within 3 m of the wall of your house, fruit trees and a long list of exempt species can be removed without asking. You can also prune up to 10% of a native tree's crown (20% for an exotic) each year without a permit. Trees on heritage, biodiversity-mapped or foreshore land are protected at any size. Our Canterbury-Bankstown rules page has the details.
How much can I prune without a permit in Canterbury-Bankstown?
Without a permit you may selectively prune up to 10% of the crown of a native tree, or 20% of an exotic tree, in any 12-month period, as long as no branch removed is over 150 mm in diameter and the work follows AS 4373. Allowed pruning types are deadwooding, crown thinning, selective pruning, reduction pruning, crown lifting, remedial pruning and line clearance. The allowance doesn't apply to threatened species or trees on heritage, foreshore or biodiversity-mapped land. See pruning.
How much does tree removal cost in Bankstown?
Every job is quoted free, on site and fixed. The price depends on the tree's height and spread, how easy it is to get to, what is underneath it (roof, pool, power lines), whether a crane is needed and whether you want the stump ground. Council fees are separate. What drives the cost is on our main website.
Where are you based?
We work from a yard in Bankstown, one of Above All's four Sydney bases (Engadine, Ryde, Gordon and Bankstown), so a crew is never far from Canterbury-Bankstown and the south-west. The bases aren't open to the public: we come to you.
How soon can you quote?
We call back almost as soon as your request comes in, and inspect and quote within 24 to 48 hours. Stumps can be quoted from a photo; everything else we come and see.
Are you qualified and insured?
Yes. Above All has two AQF Level 5 consulting arborists (Diploma of Horticulture (Arboriculture)); Joshua Baber writes the arborist reports councils ask for. Crews hold EWP (over 11 m) and Electrical Close Approach licences, and we carry $20 million public liability.
Do you do emergency and storm work?
Yes, and we answer the phone after hours: call 0412 908 673. When a crew is available we're usually on site within about two hours. During big storms we triage by danger.
Do you clean up afterwards?
Yes. Every job finishes with a full clean-up. Green waste is removed unless you'd like to keep the firewood or mulch.
Tell us about the tree.
Free, fixed quotes anywhere in Canterbury-Bankstown and the south-west. When you call, you speak to the people who do the work.