Blueberry Ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus) | Removal and Council Permits

Do you need a permit?

Blueberry Ash 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 slim upright small tree with leathery serrated leaves that often turn red before dropping individually. Fringed bell shaped white or pink flowers in spring, followed by bright blue berries that persist for months.

Where it grows in Sydney

Naturally in sandstone gullies and moist forest across the Northern Beaches, Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby and Lane Cove, and heavily planted as a screening tree in newer gardens.

Common problems

Berry drop that stains paving and attracts birds
Often planted too close together as a screen and then thins out
Specifically excluded from fruit tree exemptions in several councils

What removal involves

Small and easy to remove physically. The compliance trap is the fruit tree exemption: Hornsby and Georges River both name Blueberry Ash as excluded from the edible fruit and nut tree exemption, so do not treat it as a fruit tree. Standard native protection applies.

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.
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.
Hornsby Shire	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.
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.
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.
North Sydney	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.
Willoughby	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.
Lane Cove	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.
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.
Hunters Hill	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.
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.
Inner West	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.
Woollahra	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.
Waverley	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.
Randwick	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.
Bayside	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.
Georges River	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.
Strathfield	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.
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.
Canterbury-Bankstown	Permit required	Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold.

Frequently asked questions

It has berries, so is it covered by the fruit tree exemption?

No. Hornsby and Georges River specifically exclude native species such as Blueberry Ash, Lilly Pilly and Macadamia from the fruit tree exemption. It is treated as a protected native.

Related trees

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.