Dubbo council to get more feedback on private tree preservation order

That's the question Dubbo Regional Council is once again asking the public.

There is currently a tree preservation order in place for public land that's owned and managed by the council. However, the council is seeking feedback to see if such an order is warranted for private property.

It could cover an excess of 117,500 trees.

If adopted, it means home owners would need to apply for a permit to remove or prune trees that come under the order - for a cost. Once the permit was applied for, an arborist from the council would inspect the tree and make a recommendation about whether or not the work should be undertaken.

The proposed tree preservation order was recently on public exhibition. Of those who were surveyed about the TPO, 53 per cent said they did not support one for privately-owned land.

"To summarise the results of the survey - there is not a majority support for the introduction of a TPO on privately-owned land utilising Dubbo Regional Council resources, and that people are not prepared to pay for the implementation of the policy that restricts what they can or cannot do on their own trees," the council report states.

"However, strong support was also shown for Dubbo Regional Council to take a leading approach in and around the education of the public regarding the importance of trees and increasing the canopy coverage of our urban areas generally, rather than assuming the role of enforcer."

Now, the council will go back to the public to help decide if the TPO is wanted in the Dubbo local government area.

Dubbo council is considering a tree preservation order as a way to improve the overall canopy in the urban environment.

The council is also in the process of deciding what size of tree should be covered under the order. Heights of both eight and 10 metres will be investigated.

Once collected, that information will all go before the council before a final decision on the TPO is made.

Councillor Josh Balck said "people don't need to panic". He said more information would be gathered before the council makes its decision.

Save Our Street Trees' Barbara Sutherland has been an avid supporter of the council bringing in a TPO to better protect private trees.