Camphor laurel removal: the weed rules, when big trees still need approval, and cost

The short answer

Camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) is an East Asian tree that was widely planted for shade and has since spread through the NSW North Coast and south-east Queensland. Because it is a weed, councils in those areas tend to exempt it from the usual tree rules. But most of them exempt it only up to a size: under 100cm trunk diameter in Tweed Shire, under 10 metres tall in The Hills Shire, under one metre in diameter in Byron's urban zones under its older order.

So the practical question is not “is it a weed?” It is “how big is it, where is it, and what does my council say about that size?” Heritage areas, development consent conditions, mapped biodiversity land and wildlife using the tree can all override a weed exemption, and where your council has no camphor rule at all, the ordinary size threshold applies to it like any other tree.

What the weed listing actually means

The state listings are about stopping the spread, not about giving permission to cut.

• Queensland: camphor laurel is a category 3 restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014. You must not give it away, sell it or release it into the environment, and everyone has a general biosecurity obligation to take reasonable steps to minimise the risk it poses. The Queensland Government notes a single tree can produce over 100,000 seeds a year, spread by birds, with seed staying viable for up to three years.
• NSW: camphor laurel falls under the general biosecurity duty that applies to all pest plants: to prevent, eliminate or minimise any biosecurity risk. In the Hunter region it is a regional priority weed, and landholders there must not buy, sell or move it. NSW DPI records heavy infestations in the Lismore, Tweed, Byron and Ballina council areas and the Orara Valley near Coffs Harbour.

Neither listing, as described on the official pages, orders you to remove a camphor growing in your garden, and neither is a substitute for council approval where your council requires it. Brisbane City Council says so directly: some declared pest plant trees are still protected, and you need Council permission to clear them. We covered the same trap for another Brisbane-listed pest species in the jacaranda removal guide.

How councils treat camphor laurel

Five councils, five different rules. This is why nobody can give you a single answer for “camphor laurel removal NSW”:

Summarised from each council's published material (see sources below). Council controls are reviewed from time to time, so read the current version for your area rather than relying on this table.

The pattern is consistent even where the numbers differ. Small and medium camphors are usually easy. Very large ones, which are also the ones that shade out a whole yard or sit over a house, often still need a permit, because councils weigh canopy, shade and habitat as well as weed status. If your council publishes no rule for camphor, our guide on whether your tree is protected sets out where else to look.

What can protect a camphor anyway

Even inside a weed exemption, check these before anyone starts cutting:

• Size. As above, many exemptions stop at a trunk diameter or height. Measure trunk diameter the way your council specifies, usually at about 1.3 to 1.4 metres above the ground, and get it in writing if it is close.
• Heritage. Old camphors were planted as shade trees on homesteads, farms and in towns, and Lismore's exemptions, for example, do not apply within heritage conservation areas.
• Consent conditions and title. A tree that a development consent required to be kept, or that is protected by a covenant, can need approval regardless of species.
• Biodiversity land and wildlife. Camphors grow along creeks and bushland edges, and they are used by native animals. Lismore's exemptions do not apply on land on the Biodiversity Values Map or in threatened species habitat. When Tweed Shire Council removed camphors beside a flying-fox camp in Murwillumbah in 2016, it did so under a certificate from the NSW environment agency. If a tree has a flying-fox camp, nesting birds or hollows, talk to council before work starts.
• Whose tree it is. Camphors were common street and park trees. A tree on the verge or nature strip is council property. See council trees overhanging or damaging your property.

Is it definitely a camphor laurel?

Because the lenient rules depend on the species, identification matters. The Hills Shire fact sheet puts it plainly: misidentifying a tree is not a defence. NSW DPI describes camphor laurel as an evergreen tree growing to about 20 metres, with glossy green leaves 5 to 10cm long that give off a strong camphor smell when crushed. The crushed-leaf test is the quickest check, though a large tree with a lot riding on the answer is worth having an arborist confirm in writing.

Keep children and pets away from the fruit and prunings. NSW DPI states that all parts of the plant are poisonous and can cause nausea, vomiting and respiratory distress.

Camphor laurel roots: what is actually true

Camphors are big, fast, thirsty trees with broad, shallow root systems. In the bush, NSW DPI notes those shallow roots can destabilise stream banks by undercutting them. In a garden, they can lift paving and compete hard with anything planted beneath.

For pipes and slabs, the same rules apply as for any large tree. Roots follow water into joints and cracks that already leak, so a plumber's CCTV inspection is what tells you whether the camphor is actually in your drain. Removing the tree does not fix the pipe, and on reactive clay, removing a large tree near a building can let the soil move as it takes up moisture again, so get an engineer's view as well if a building is involved. Liability for damage to or from a neighbour's tree is covered in tree roots damaging pipes, paving or foundations.

Getting rid of it properly

Felling a camphor is the easy part. Three things decide whether it stays gone.

• The stump. Camphors commonly reshoot from a cut stump. Weed control guidance from NSW DPI and Brisbane City Council lists cut stump treatment and stem injection with registered herbicides, and basal bark treatment for smaller stems. Grinding the stump is the other route. Whichever you choose, any herbicide must be used according to its label, and near a creek or dam that matters even more. Ask every quote how regrowth will be handled.
• The seedlings. Birds including currawongs, pigeons and magpies eat the fruit and spread the seed, so seedlings keep coming up for years, including from trees on other properties. Pull them while they are small, when they come out with the root.
• The ground left behind. On a cleared slope, NSW DPI warns that soil erosion can follow unless ground cover is re-established quickly. Where camphors dominate a creek line or a large area, DPI describes controlling them in stages so native plants can grow in and take over, rather than clearing everything at once.

Disposal: in Queensland you must not release camphor laurel into the environment, so do not dump branches carrying fruit in bushland or on a creek bank. Use council green waste or have the crew take it. The timber itself is not the problem: when Tweed Shire Council removed its Murwillumbah camphors, the large logs went to timber production and the chipped material to mulch for park gardens. Camphor timber has a market for slabs and boards, so it is worth asking whether a crew or a local miller will take clean, straight logs, though that is unlikely to change the price much on a typical backyard job.

What camphor laurel removal costs

Camphors cost more than their height suggests, for the same reason big figs do: a mature tree has a dense, spreading crown and heavy lateral limbs that have to be lowered over fences, sheds and roofs, plus a lot of timber and foliage to chip and cart away.

Indicative ranges only, compiled from published Australian price guides. These are not quotes and not prices we set. See tree removal cost for the full breakdown, including stump grinding by diameter.

When comparing quotes, check three things: whether the stump is ground or treated (and how deep), whether green waste is removed or left, and who is responsible for any council application if the tree is over your council's size cut-off. Those are where camphor quotes usually diverge.

Before you commit to removal

• Measure it against your council's rule. Height or trunk diameter, measured the way the council says. If it is close to the line, ask.
• Confirm the species. Crush a leaf. If the exemption depends on it and the tree is large, get an arborist to confirm in writing.
• Look for wildlife. Nesting birds, hollows or a flying-fox camp are reasons to call council first, whatever the species.
• Do not top it as a compromise. Heavy cuts on a camphor produce a mass of fast regrowth. If the tree is wrong for the spot, see tree lopping vs pruning before agreeing to “cut it back hard”.

And as always: a contractor telling you no permit is needed is not a defence if one was. The liability for unauthorised removal sits with the landowner. If a large camphor does need approval, an arborist report that records the species, size and weed status is usually the core of the application. If you are weighing up who to hire, read arborist vs tree lopper.