School Tree Removal Ballarat
For a Victorian government school, tree work follows a set path. A routine assessment comes first, then an arborist’s report rating the risk of each tree, then the works. For high-risk trees, the Department’s Safe Tree Program can help pay for both the report and the works.
This page from Tree Removal Ballarat is for principals, business managers and facilities staff at Ballarat schools and early learning centres working out how to get trees dealt with properly.
The Safe Tree Program, in short
The program is run by the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) and is open to all government schools. After a school’s routine tree assessment, if trees are classified as high-risk, the school can apply for financial support for the high-risk tree works and the cost of the arborist report.
- the arborist’s report
- a quote for the high-risk tree works
- proof of payment for the arborist report
There are two ways to run it. In a school-led application, the school submits an existing arborist report and has the works done by its own qualified arborist. If the school doesn’t have the capacity to organise that, the VSBA can lead the assessment and the works instead.
Two conditions often catch schools out. The program doesn’t cover general vegetation and grass management, or school plantations. And for every high-risk tree removed, the school or VSBA must plant at least two native trees.
Who does what
| Step | Who |
|---|---|
| Routine tree assessment and keeping it on the school’s risk records | The school |
| Arborist report rating each tree’s risk and recommending works | A qualified arborist engaged by the school, or the VSBA if it’s leading |
| Quote for the recommended works | The tree contractor. This is where we come in. |
| Safe Tree Program application | The school |
| Replanting: two native trees per high-risk tree removed | The school or VSBA |
Non-government schools, kindergartens and early learning centres follow their own organisation’s processes. The same order still works well: assess, report, quote, then do the work.
Schools on Ballarat’s bushfire edge
Schools that list bushfire or grassfire as a risk in their Emergency Management Plan have extra vegetation maintenance to do. The Department’s tree and vegetation policy points them to the maintenance listed for areas around Shelter-in-Place buildings.
That risk is real around Ballarat. In March 2025, when fire broke out on the south-eastern side of Mount Buninyong, Scotsburn Primary School students were relocated to Buninyong. Schools near the bush around Buninyong, Mount Clear, Mount Helen and Brown Hill should check whether their plan triggers this.
Keeping branches lifted clear of the ground and of buildings is a large part of it. See canopy lifting for the CFA clearance figures.
Wind, and when to book
Ballarat’s worst tree failures tend to come with strong winds, often after rain has soaked the ground. In the late August to early September storms of 2024, the SES responded to 61 trees down in the Ballarat area. Getting high-risk trees over play areas, walkways and car parks dealt with before winter makes more sense than waiting for a storm to force the issue.
Most schools want tree work done when students aren’t on site. Tell us your preferred windows, such as school holidays, weekends or before the bell, and the quote will say what’s possible.
How a school job runs
- Send the arborist report. If you have one, send it with a site map, or send photos and locations of the trees you’re worried about.
- Quote. The quote follows the report’s recommendations tree by tree, so it can go straight into a Safe Tree Program application or a school council approval.
- Scheduling. Work is booked into an agreed window, with the work area fenced off from students and staff.
- Stumps. In play areas, stumps are ground out so they don’t become trip hazards.
Common questions
Can we use an arborist report we already have?
Yes. For a school-led application, the program expects an existing report. If you want the VSBA to lead instead, the report or quote you provide needs to be dated within the last six months.
Does the program cover pruning and clearing undergrowth?
It covers high-risk tree works recommended by a qualified arborist. It doesn’t cover general vegetation and grass removal or management, which comes out of the school’s own maintenance budget.
Our school isn’t a government school. Does any of this apply?
The Safe Tree Program is for government schools only. Independent and Catholic schools manage tree risk through their own systems, but the same evidence (report, quote, records of works) makes approvals easier.
What about trees on the nature strip outside the school?
Street trees are generally council’s. Contact the City of Ballarat, or the relevant council for schools outside the city, rather than including them in school works.
For trees on other managed sites, see commercial tree removal.
Get a quote
Send your arborist report or photos of the trees through the form, or call to talk through timing.