Tree removal in Monbulk
Monbulk is split between the town and the farms, and so is its tree rule. An exotic tree 1 m around the trunk can need a permit on one block and not on the next.
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Ask for a quoteOlinda Forest. Photo: Nick Carson, CC BY 3.0
Two rules in Monbulk
Of the 25 points we sampled around Monbulk, 9 fell under the township overlay, SLO22, and 8 under SLO5, the overlay for the red-soil farming country. A few more were SLO1, the ranges overlay, which has SLO5's terms. Both rules need a permit for indigenous or native vegetation of any size. Where they differ is the size of tree and the distance from the house:
- 50 cm
- SLO22: any tree more than 50 cm around at 1.3 m. Nearly every established tree in the township.
- 1.1 m
- SLO5: any tree more than 1.1 m around at 1.3 m, about 35 cm across. Smaller exotic trees are outside it.
- 2 m
- SLO22: vegetation within 2 m of a building is exempt.
- 4 m
- SLO5: vegetation whose base is within 4 m of a building is exempt.
- 10 m
- The 10/30 rule sits above both. Every point was in a Bushfire Prone Area. How it works.
Under either overlay, dead vegetation and the species on Yarra Ranges' environmental weeds list are exempt. Your property report says which overlay your block is under, and the answer can change from one side of a road to the other.
Get a free property report from VicPlan to see which overlays cover your block.
Checked 7 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 22 to Clause 42.03 (SLO22), Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 5 to Clause 42.03 (SLO5) and Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 52.12 (bushfire protection exemptions).
Farms, nurseries and windbreaks
Monbulk's soils are known for draining well and holding together, and the town grew on farms and orchards. Nursery and flower growing are still its biggest employers, and the Monbulk Jam Factory dates from 1897. SLO5 describes the farming country around it as a patchwork of small fields, orchards, flower farms and glasshouses on red soil.
On a farm under SLO5, one exemption is worth knowing. Planted windrows, woodlots and landscaping can be removed without the overlay's permit if it is done under a property management plan the council has accepted. Without that plan, a windbreak of big trees is assessed like any other trees over 1.1 m around.
Checked 7 October 2026 against Wikipedia: Monbulk and Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 5 to Clause 42.03 (SLO5).
Other overlays
- ESO1, at 7 of the 25 points, needs a permit for native vegetation. Exotic trees and anything within 4 m of a building are exempt. A standing dead tree more than 1.3 m around still needs a permit, even though SLO22 and SLO5 let dead vegetation go.
- Erosion overlays came up at only 4 points, against 16 in Olinda. Where they apply, a permit is needed for vegetation other than a tree 50 cm or less around, anything within 2 m of a building, or dead vegetation where the ground is made good.
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) and Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 3 to Clause 44.01 (EMO3).
The rule next door
- Olinda, Kallista and The Patch
- SLO1 at every point we sampled: trees over 1.1 m around, 4 m from a building. Kallista and The Patch carry the erosion overlay more often than Monbulk.
- Silvan
- Mostly SLO5, the same farming overlay as Monbulk's outskirts.
- Emerald
- Over the line into Cardinia, where the overlays set no minimum size and the exemption near a house reaches 6 m on a lot under 0.4 ha.
All of them are in the permit guide.
Checked 7 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 1 to Clause 42.03 (SLO1), Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 5 to Clause 42.03 (SLO5) 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.