Tree Lopping vs Pruning: Why Lopping Is Banned Under AS 4373 and What to Ask For Instead

What people mean when they search "tree lopping"

In Brisbane, "tree lopping" is the everyday term for any tree work. People search for a "tree lopper" when they want a tree trimmed, reduced or removed. We have a tree lopping page because that is what people type, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.

But in arboriculture, lopping means something specific and bad: cutting branches or the trunk back to stubs at an arbitrary point, with no regard to where the tree can seal the wound or how it will regrow. The related term "topping" means cutting the top out of the tree to shorten it. Both leave big flat wounds on limbs that are too large to close over.

The Australian Standard that governs tree pruning is AS 4373-2007 Pruning of amenity trees. It covers trees and palms, and it is blunt on the point: "Lopping, topping and flush cutting are unacceptable practices." Any arborist who works to the standard will not lop your tree, no matter what the job is called on the invoice.

So when we say we do tree lopping in Capalaba or Springwood, what we are doing is pruning to AS 4373. This guide explains the difference and what to ask for.

Why lopping damages trees

A tree does not heal a wound the way skin does. It seals it by growing new wood around the cut. That works well at a natural branch collar, where the tree has the tissue to close over. It works poorly on a flat stub cut halfway along a limb.

What happens after a lopping job:

• Decay. The stub cannot seal, so fungi and rot move into the limb and often down into the trunk.
• Epicormic regrowth. The tree throws out a mass of thin, fast-growing shoots from just below the cut. These are attached to the outer layers of wood only, not anchored into the limb.
• A worse hazard. Within a few seasons those shoots are heavy, poorly attached and sitting on top of decaying wood. That is exactly the combination that fails in a storm.
• Repeat cost. The tree grows back faster than it would have if pruned properly, so you are paying again sooner.
• Stress. Removing a big share of the canopy at once starves the tree and leaves it open to sunburn and pests.

Lopping looks like a cheap way to get a tree "under control". It is not. If a tree is too big for its spot, the real options are a proper reduction or a removal, and a good arborist will tell you which.

What to ask for instead: pruning to AS 4373

The standard describes pruning types that keep the tree's structure intact. When you get quotes, use these terms and ask which one the arborist is proposing.

• Crown reduction. Reduces height or spread by cutting back to suitable lateral branches, so the tree keeps a natural shape and can seal the cuts.
• Crown thinning. Removes selected branches through the canopy to let wind and light through, without changing the outline.
• Crown lifting. Removes lower limbs to give clearance over roofs, driveways, footpaths and lawns.
• Deadwooding. Removes dead, dying and diseased branches. Often the most useful job on a mature gum.
• Formative pruning. Shapes young trees so they do not need heavy work later.

Guide pricing from GoTreeQuotes' pruning cost guide: an average of $625 with a range of $325 to $1,450. By type, canopy lifts run $200 to $700, thinning $300 to $2,000, reductions $350 to $1,500 and deadwooding $150 to $1,500. Airtasker gives a Brisbane pruning range of $423 to $1,200. All guide only. Our tree pruning page has more, or try the cost calculator.

Council rules on pruning in Brisbane and the Redlands

Pruning is treated more lightly than removal by councils, but there are limits, and heavy lopping can cross them.

Brisbane City Council's permit fact sheet exempts pruning of up to 20% of live foliage in any 12 months on protected vegetation. Lopping routinely takes far more than that, which means a lopped protected tree can be a breach even if nobody meant to remove it. Proper crown thinning or a modest reduction is much easier to keep within that line.

In the Redlands, council confirmed in November 2025 that routine trimming along fence lines and near buildings is not regulated under the City Plan. That covers the everyday clearance work most people want in Cleveland, Victoria Point and Alexandra Hills. Trees under an overlay or Vegetation Protection Order are still protected from anything heavier.

Logan's exemption criteria include garden maintenance, but not inside koala corridors or waterway areas. Read our full council permit guide for each council, and use the permit checker before booking heavy pruning.

How to tell a pruner from a lopper

Anyone with a chainsaw and a ute can call themselves a tree lopper. There is no state licence for tree work in Queensland; the QBCC does not license arborists, so anyone advertising a licence is naming one that does not exist. What you can check is training, insurance and method.

• Qualification. The trade qualification is a Certificate III in Arboriculture (AHC30820). A consulting arborist who writes reports holds a Diploma (AHC50520).
• Insurance. Industry guidance suggests $10 million public liability as a minimum, with $20 million increasingly standard. Ask to see the certificate of currency.
• Method. Ask where the cuts will be made. "Back to the branch collar" or "to a lateral" is the right answer. "We'll take it back to the fence line" is not.
• Safety. Safe Work Australia's Guide to managing the risks of tree work sets out what a proper crew does on site: exclusion zones, rigging, climbing systems.

Dan's Tree Experts is a small qualified, insured crew based in Sheldon. We prune to AS 4373-2007 and we will explain each cut before we make it.

When pruning is not enough

Sometimes a tree has simply outgrown its position. If keeping it to a safe size would mean removing more canopy than the tree can cope with, or repeating a hard reduction every couple of years, removal is often the more honest recommendation. A crown reduction on a gum that wants to be twice the height of your house is a long-term commitment.

Signs that removal may be the better call:

• The tree has already been lopped and is now a mass of weak regrowth on rotting stubs.
• Major limbs over the house or powerlines cannot be reduced without ruining the tree.
• There is decay, fungus or termite activity in the trunk.
• It is a declared weed such as camphor laurel, or a problem species like cocos palm.

Removal costs more upfront. Brisbane guide figures run from $300 to $3,000 for small trees up to $3,500 to $12,000 for large ones. But one removal beats paying to re-lop the same tree every few years, and it removes the storm risk for good. See our tree removal cost guide and tree removal page.

Whatever the job, we will look at the tree and give you a free, written quote with the pruning type or removal method spelled out. Get in touch.

Sources

• Standards Australia: AS 4373-2007 Pruning of amenity trees
• Queensland Arboricultural Association: arborist education
• QBCC: when you need a licence
• Safe Work Australia: Guide to managing the risks of tree work
• GoTreeQuotes: tree pruning cost guide
• Brisbane City Council: Do I need a permit? fact sheet
• Redland Bayside News: Redlands vegetation rules
• Arbour Advisory: arborist insurance requirements 2026