Broad-Leaved Paperbark
Melaleuca quinquenervia · Myrtaceae
Do you need a permit?
Broad-Leaved Paperbark 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
Thick spongy bark in papery cream and beige layers that peel off in sheets, which is the giveaway. Leaves are stiff and leathery with five parallel veins running their length. Creamy white bottlebrush flowers through autumn and winter.
Where it grows in Sydney
Natural on low lying damp ground and around wetlands, common through the Northern Beaches at Warriewood, Narrabeen and Ingleside, and planted widely as a street and park tree across Bayside, Georges River and Canterbury-Bankstown.
Common problems
- Shallow roots that seek out drains and lift paving on damp sites
- Prone to windthrow on saturated ground
- Papery bark is a significant ember and fire risk close to buildings
- Flowers are a known hay fever trigger and attract large numbers of bees
- Often within protected wetland or coastal vegetation mapping
What removal involves
Straightforward dismantling, since the timber is soft and the size modest. The complication is location: paperbarks sit on damp low lying ground that is frequently inside wetland, riparian or coastal environment overlays, which add controls beyond a standard tree permit. Access for machinery on soft ground is usually the practical constraint.
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. 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 |
Frequently asked questions
Is paperbark protected?
Yes. It is a native species and is not on any exempt species list in the councils covered here, so a tree permit is required once it passes the size threshold. Wetland and riparian mapping can add a further approval layer.
Can the bark be stripped off to reduce the fire risk?
No. The bark is living tissue and stripping it damages the tree and invites decay. Managing the fuel load underneath the tree and keeping gutters clear is the practical approach.
Commonly confused with
- Swamp Mahogany Both grow on damp ground in the same low lying areas and are protected natives
Related 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.
Photo by Forest & Kim Starr via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
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.