Tree removal in Kallista
Kallista is forest, houses and farms side by side. Its tree rule treats a native tree and an exotic one quite differently.
We connect you with a local arborist who works in the hills.
Ask for a quoteDandenong Ranges. Photo: Uzman Naleer, CC BY-SA 4.0
The rule in Kallista
Kallista is under SLO1, Yarra Ranges' ranges overlay, at every one of the 25 points we sampled. SLO1 needs a council permit for native vegetation of any size, and for any tree whose trunk is more than:
- 1.1 m
- around, 1.3 m off the ground. A tape measure at chest height answers it; the trunk is then about 35 cm across.
- 4 m
- Within 4 m of a lawful building, SLO1 doesn't apply. Branches over the roof can be cut back to 4 m clear.
- 10 m
- The 10/30 rule covers older houses. All 25 points were in a Bushfire Prone Area. The detail.
Dead vegetation, health pruning of up to a third of a plant, and listed environmental weeds are outside SLO1.
Get a free property report from VicPlan to see which overlays cover your block.
Checked 7 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 1 to Clause 42.03 (SLO1) and Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 52.12 (bushfire protection exemptions).
What sits on top of SLO1
- ESO1 came up at 15 of the 25 points. It also covers native vegetation, also exempts 4 m from a building, and keeps a permit on any standing dead tree more than 1.3 m around.
- An erosion overlay came up at 14 points. There the near-building exemption is 2 m, not 4 m, and any tree more than 50 cm around needs a permit, native or not.
- The Heritage Overlay came up at 9 points, but it was Sherbrooke Forest itself, which is public land. Beagley's Bridge picnic ground on Sassafras Creek Road is a heritage place with tree controls too.
Checked 7 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 1 to Clause 42.01 (ESO1), Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule to Clause 44.01 (EMO), Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 3 to Clause 44.01 (EMO3) and Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule to Clause 43.01 (Heritage Overlay).
From selections to weekenders
Loggers came first, in the 1850s. In 1893, during the depression, the government opened the area for selection, and Kallista was South Sassafras until 1925. Once roads to Belgrave and Monbulk were finished, between 1912 and 1918, Melbourne people bought weekenders and holiday homes as the farm blocks were cut up. Tom Roberts, of the Heidelberg School, lived and painted here from 1893 to 1931.
That history left Kallista a mix of forest, houses and farmland. Where exotic garden trees and native vegetation grow on the same block, SLO1 gives them different answers, so it helps to know which is which before asking for a quote.
Checked 7 October 2026 against Wikipedia: Kallista, Victoria.
The rule next door
- Sherbrooke, Olinda and The Patch
- SLO1 at every point: 1.1 m around, 4 m from a building.
- Belgrave
- The township overlay, SLO22: 50 cm around and 2 m from a building.
- Monbulk
- Split between SLO22 in town and the farming overlay SLO5 outside it.
- Selby and Menzies Creek
- Selby has SLO3, with SLO1's terms. Menzies Creek straddles Cardinia, whose overlays work differently.
See the permit guide for each council.
Checked 7 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 1 to Clause 42.03 (SLO1), Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 22 to Clause 42.03 (SLO22), Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 5 to Clause 42.03 (SLO5), Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 3 to Clause 42.03 (SLO3) and Cardinia Planning Scheme, Schedule 1 to Clause 42.03 (SLO1).
Ask for a quote
Tell us where you are and what needs doing. We pass it to a local arborist who works in the hills. They ring you back to talk about the job.