Big trees, smaller blocks
Innaloo was built out in the 1950s and 1960s on generous quarter-acre lots, and a great deal of it has since been subdivided into two or three. The houses changed. The trees did not.
That is the defining condition of tree work here: mature trees planted for a large block, now standing three metres from a new boundary at the rear of a battleaxe, with a 3.5 metre access handle as the only way in.
What that does to a job
No truck access to the tree means no chipper near the work. Material is carried out to the street or fed through a long hose run, and the job takes longer than the same tree on an open block. No drop zone means the tree is climbed and rigged down in sections rather than felled.
It also means neighbour management. On a subdivided lot the canopy usually overhangs two or three properties, and the sensible order of operations is to talk to the neighbours before the crew arrives rather than after a limb has been lowered into their yard. The cost guide covers how access translates into hours and dollars.
The trees
Norfolk Island pines. A signature of this part of Stirling, planted through the post-war period and now very large. They cannot be reduced — conifers do not reshoot from bare wood — so work on them is deadwooding and clearance, never shortening.
Lemon-scented gums and other big eucalypts. Planted through the 1970s and 1980s and now the main summer limb-drop risk on these blocks, especially over driveways and carports.
Jacaranda, Cape lilac, olive, oleander. The standard post-war garden palette, mostly manageable and mostly a litter and clearance issue rather than a hazard one.
Palms. Cocos and Canary Island date palms in large numbers. They are tidied — old fronds and seed heads off — not cut back.
Ground and stump work
Spearwood sand through this part of the coastal plain, with limestone at depth in places closer to the coast. Stump grinding is generally quick, but the access problem applies to the grinder as much as to the truck. On a rear-lot job, a narrow-access machine through a 900mm gate is the usual answer and it is slower than the big one.
If a rear lot is being developed, get the stump out before the new crossover and fencing go in.
The council
Western Australia has no statewide tree preservation order and the City of Stirling sets its own approach for private trees. Street and verge trees are City property, and the process for one fouling your driveway sightline is an application to the City.
Travel
North of the river and outside the core southern area, so the quote carries travel. Nedlands is the nearest of the other northern pages; the full list is on the service areas page.
Call (08) 9516 2804.
Frequently asked questions
Which council covers Innaloo?
The City of Stirling, one of the largest local governments in the state, taking in Innaloo, Osborne Park, Doubleview, Karrinyup, Scarborough and a long list of others. Western Australia has no statewide tree preservation order, so the City's own rules apply to trees on private land. Verge trees are City property.
Why is access such a problem in Innaloo?
Subdivision. Large post-war blocks have been split into two or three lots, which puts a mature tree at the rear of a battleaxe with a narrow access handle as the only route in. A tree that was planted in the middle of a quarter-acre block is now three metres from a new boundary with no truck access at all.
Can Norfolk Island pines be made shorter?
No. They are conifers and they will not reshoot from bare wood, so a cut branch leaves a permanent gap and a topped tree never recovers its shape. The legitimate work is deadwooding and clearance. If the height is genuinely the problem, the honest options are living with it or removing the tree.
Is Innaloo in your normal service area?
It is north of the river, which is outside the core southern patch, so travel shows in the quote. The page has been part of this site's coverage for a long time and the work still gets done. For small jobs, combining with another property in the area is the practical way to keep the travel component reasonable.