Why does Newcastle have so many big street trees?
Because the city planted them on purpose. City of Newcastle's Street Tree Selection Manual tells the story. By the 1930s, industry had left a landscape with hardly anything growing in it, and Newcastle was getting called Coaly Town. In 1931 the Lord Mayor said the streets badly needed avenues of trees, and a five-year city beautification program followed. By 1937 the suburban councils had planted hundreds of trees.
Figs were a big part of it. The manual records Moreton Bay figs along the edge of Islington Park going in as far back as 1880. Later the council planted Hill's figs along the Pacific Highway west of Mayfield, and a dense row of them along Industrial Drive beside Port Waratah. Newcastle, the manual says, is still living under the canopy planted from the 1930s on.
It's blunt about the cost too. The same manual says poor tree selection in the past has put roots in conflict with the infrastructure around them and with private property. The council's other tree manual lists what gets hit: utility services, footpaths, driveways, retaining walls and buildings.
Whose tree is it?
This decides everything else.
If it's a street tree or it's in a park, it's a public tree and the council manages it. City of Newcastle's Urban Forest Technical Manual says a council arborist inspects public trees on request. It sets out a property damage test for exactly this: whether a public tree is significantly affecting public or private property, driveways included. It also says public trees only come out when there's no practical alternative. So expect the council to look for another fix first.
If the tree's on your land, it's yours to deal with, but not always yours to cut down. The council's manual has a separate part for trees on private land, so check with City of Newcastle or Lake Macquarie City Council before you take one out or cut it back hard.
A neighbour's tree is between you and the neighbour. Start with a conversation.
Can you just cut the roots?
Not on a council tree. Under the council's manual, roots only get cut after a council arborist has inspected, and the root pruning is done by the council's own tree team. Your concreter can't make that call for you, and a good one won't try.
There's a reason for the care. The manual warns that working hard up against a tree can lead to dieback, the death of the tree, or branches and whole trees failing, and that mature trees cope with it worst. A big fig with the roots cut along one side can be a bigger problem than a lifted path.
On your own tree the same biology applies. Get an arborist's advice before any roots come out.
How do you get the council to look at a tree?
Ask for a tree inspection. The manual says requests come in through the council's website or by phone, and a council arborist does the assessment and decides what work is needed. Take photos of the lift and the trunk first. If the council decides the tree stays, you'll be working around it, and that changes the concrete job.
Should you grind the lip or replace the section?
Depends how far it's gone.
| What you have | Usual fix | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| A lip between two slabs, both still in one piece | Grind the high side down to a gentle ramp | It takes out the trip, not the root. The lift can come back |
| A slab that has cracked right through and lifted | Replace that section | The root has to be dealt with first, by whoever is allowed to |
| A whole run of path or driveway lifting | Replace it, and plan around the tree | Can mean moving the path, or reinforced concrete over the roots |
Council crews work from the same short list. The manual's alternatives to taking a tree out include grinding the trips along a footpath, replacing the footpath with reinforced concrete, and moving the footpath altogether.
Grinding is the quick one: see concrete grinding. Replacing a section is a break-out and a new pour: see concrete repairs.
What if the lift is on the footpath or the crossover?
Then it's the council's concrete as well as, usually, the council's tree. Report it to the council. We can only help with concrete on your side of the boundary.
Is the driveway worth saving at all?
If the roots have cracked more than one section, it might be time for a bigger question. Our guide on whether to repair or replace a cracked concrete driveway goes through it.
What should you tell us?
Whose tree it is, how far the trunk is from the concrete, how high the lip is, and whether the slab's cracked or just tilted. A photo helps a lot. If it's a council tree, tell us whether the council's been out to look. We'll work out whether it's a grinding job or a repair and send the right trade to quote.
Sources
- City of Newcastle: Street Tree Selection Manual (2016)
- City of Newcastle: Urban Forest Technical Manual, Part B Public Trees (2018)
- City of Newcastle
- Lake Macquarie City Council
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