Felling rules in New South Wales: what the Tree works code says

This page reports what the named codes, regulators and makers say. It is not training and does not teach the work. This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It reports chapter 9 of the SafeWork NSW code of practice Tree works, read on October 9, 2026. The courses that teach felling are in the guides on chainsaw tickets and certifications by country. The other countries are on the page on felling rules by country. Wording is adapted from the code, which is © State of New South Wales (SafeWork NSW) and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Changes made: sentences were shortened and reworded, and figures and diagrams were left out. The licence terms are on the Creative Commons deed: sharing and adapting for any purpose with credit, a link to the licence and a note of changes.

Status of the code

The code's editorial note says it was approved under section 274 of the NSW Work Health and Safety Act 2011, that notice of the approval was published in the Government Gazette on March 27, 2026, and that it commenced that day and replaced the 1998 Amenity Tree Industry Code of practice. It says the code is read in its entirety. SafeWork NSW's tree work hazard page says tree work involves major risks including falls from heights, being struck by falling objects, working around power lines, musculoskeletal disorders, noise, working with equipment and sun exposure. The file is the SafeWork NSW Tree works code.

Assessment before felling

Chapter 9 says that before a tree is felled by any method a competent person carries out a visual tree assessment, covering the condition of the tree (health, defects, decay), wind loading and current weather, structural integrity including branches and trunk, and its location relative to workers, structures and other hazards. It says this assessment is the basis of a site-specific risk assessment that decides the method. It says tree felling is a hazardous activity done only by an appropriately skilled and experienced person or under the supervision of a competent person. The weather section of the code, section 3.3, names wind among the weather hazards and says that in strong winds, lightning, extreme heat or torrential rain work should stop and be rescheduled.

The three kinds of felling

The code names three processes normally used in tree trimming and removal: clear felling, controlled directional felling and sectional felling.

Clear felling is generally used where there is a minimum of two tree lengths of open space in all directions from the base of the tree.
Controlled directional felling is used where space is under two tree lengths or where the natural fall direction would create hazards such as contact with overhead lines, structures or hung trees. It uses ropes, cables or mobile plant to guide the tree.
Sectional felling cuts sections from the tree at height and lets them fall.

Controls the code lists for felling from the ground

Assess trees for overhead lines, structural defects and unstable ground, keep separation from people, property and work areas, and keep exclusion and drop zones in place.
On steep ground, no person is positioned below the felling area. Workers on the ground are not positioned downhill of a tree being felled, and exclusion zones are extended downhill in proportion to the steepness because material can roll or cartwheel further than on level ground.
An escape route is established at a minimum of 45 degrees, extending at least 6 metres from the stump. Where that cannot be done, alternative escape routes or other suitable controls are used. The operator moves away along the planned route as the tree begins to fall.
A scarf and back-cut are used, and suitable equipment such as wedges is considered to stop a fall in an unintended direction.

For clear felling the code adds that the tree's natural lean and hinge placement control the fall and wedges assist as needed. For controlled directional felling it adds that anchor points hold the total load, that vehicles or mobile plant used as anchors stay outside the drop zone, that ropes, cables and winches are rated for the expected loads, that the number of ropes matches the arc of the drop zone with arcs of 90 to 180 degrees needing at least two ropes, and that ropes are set high in the tree to give leverage. Pushing operations use suitable mobile plant only.

Sectional felling and powered plant

For sectional felling the code says the drop zone is a minimum of 1.5 times the length of the section being felled or dropped, and may be enlarged for cartwheel or bounce. Any change to the drop, felling or exclusion zone is communicated to and acknowledged by the ground workers. Where a climber is in the tree or a worker is in an EWP, cut sections are short enough that, stood upright, they cannot reach or strike the climber or the platform. Felling uphill is avoided wherever reasonably practicable because sections may rebound or slide back, and where it cannot be avoided the code lists shorter sectioning, mechanical assistance and larger exclusion zones.

The code says trees are not felled by powered mobile plant unless a risk assessment shows the risks are controlled, and the plant is guarded with a falling object protective structure and run by a competent person. Section 9.3 says plant such as excavators and bulldozers with rollover and falling object protection may help, that before felling the tree is inspected for major defects and the plant is confirmed to have enough height, weight and stability, and that during felling the plant is placed for leverage in line with the intended fall, stays in place before the feller approaches, applies only enough pressure to stop the tree sitting back while cuts are made, and the operator stays in the cab until the tree is committed to fall. All ground workers stay outside the drop zone once cutting begins. The guide on drop zones and exclusion zones sets out the zone rules on their own.