24/7 Emergency
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Safe, permitted tree removal by ISA Certified Arborists, from a single backyard conifer to a full development site. We handle the District and City tree permit process from the arborist report through to replacement planting.
Professional tree removal backed by ISA certification, TRAQ qualification and equipment suited to steep North Shore lots and tight residential access.
Safe removal of trees from residential properties, including tight spaces near structures, fences, and power lines. Full cleanup included.
Large-scale tree removal for commercial properties, parking lots, and multi-unit developments. Minimal disruption to operations.
24/7 emergency response for storm-damaged, fallen, or hazardous trees. Rapid deployment across the Lower Mainland.
Removal of dead, dying, or structurally compromised trees that pose safety risks. Full risk assessment included before any work begins.
Complete stump grinding to below grade level, allowing for replanting, landscaping, or construction. Surface roots removed as needed.
For large trees in confined spaces or near structures, our crane-assisted removal ensures precision and safety where traditional methods are not viable.
Comprehensive TRAQ-level assessments to determine whether a tree needs removal or can be preserved through alternative management strategies.
We handle the full permit process for both North Vancouver municipalities, including arborist reports, tree protection plans, replacement planting and follow-up correspondence with staff.
Lot clearing for development, including selective removal, retention planning and the canopy cover calculations the District uses to set replacement obligations.
Full site cleanup after every removal. All wood, branches, and debris hauled away. Optional firewood cutting available for usable material.
Strategic tree removal and selective pruning to improve sightlines and property views while maintaining the health of remaining trees.
Replacement tree selection and planting to the caliper, conifer and clearance rules each North Vancouver bylaw sets, with species chosen for the site and the long term.
Follow-up site inspections to assess soil conditions, remaining tree health, and any necessary remediation after tree removal is complete.
International Society of Arboriculture certified arborists on every project.
Tree Risk Assessment Qualification ensures accurate hazard evaluations.
Round-the-clock emergency response across the entire Lower Mainland.
Comprehensive liability insurance and WorkSafeBC coverage on every job.
Working knowledge of District Bylaw 7671, City Tree Bylaw 8888 and West Vancouver Bylaw 4892.
Experienced, trained crews with specialized equipment for safe removals.
We provide tree removal and arborist services to some of the largest organizations in British Columbia.
North Vancouver is two municipalities with two separate tree bylaws. The City of North Vancouver is the denser core around Lonsdale. The District of North Vancouver wraps around it and takes in Lynn Valley, Deep Cove, Seymour, Blueridge, Edgemont, Capilano and the Upper Levels. Establishing which one governs your lot is the first step on any removal, because the size thresholds, the exemptions and the replacement rules are all different.
Section 7 of Bylaw 7671 provides that a person must not cut, damage or remove a protected tree or a large-diameter tree without a tree permit, or contrary to one. A large-diameter tree is any tree with a diameter at breast height of 75 centimetres or more that is not already a protected tree, with stem measurements rounded up to the next whole centimetre. Protected trees are regulated at any size and include trees on or straddling District land, trees within a streamside protected area, trees on a steep slope with a slope angle greater than 20 degrees measured over a vertical distance of 3 metres or more, replacement, covenant, heritage and wildlife trees, old growth trees 250 years or older, trees on wetland or waterfront, trees inside the Protection of the Natural Environment, Streamside Protection and Slope Hazard Development Permit Areas, and Arbutus, Garry Oak, Oregon Ash, Pacific Yew, Western White Pine and Yellow-cedar.
Section 12 requires the permit application to include a report from a certified arborist, and from a certified tree risk assessor where a tree is to be declared hazardous, covering the proposed work, a site plan, an inventory of all protected and large-diameter trees, the removal methods, the tree protection measures for retained trees and a replanting plan. Where trees sit on a steep slope, the application also needs a report signed by a registered professional engineer, geoscientist or forester confirming the work will not increase the risk of flooding, erosion or slope instability.
Section 21 sets replacement planting against remaining canopy. Where the lot will hold less than 20 percent canopy cover after the work, the applicant plants one replacement tree per large-diameter tree removed on a lot under 420 square metres, or three on a lot of 420 square metres or more, with the option to pay the environmental compensation fee instead. Where more than 20 percent canopy cover remains, no replacement or fee is required. Removing a large-diameter tree without the permit carries a penalty under section 41 equal to the appraised value of the tree, up to $50,000.
The City's bylaw, consolidated to 8 December 2025, applies only to trees with a DBH of 20 centimetres or more, and section 2.A excludes a tree whose entire trunk is on a highway, or on land zoned GO (Ground Oriented Zone), RS-1, RS-2, RS-4B, RT-1 or RT-2, or in a CD zone whose permitted uses are based on those zones. Within its scope, section 5.A requires an arborist report prepared by a Certified Arborist with photographs of all trees on the site, together with a site plan or survey, a statement of purpose and intent, a tree protection plan and a tree replacement plan.
The grounds for a permit are narrow. On a parcel with an active building permit application, section 6.A allows removal only where the tree is inside the Permitted Building Envelope, where retention would place unreasonable constraints on developing the parcel to its permitted density, where the tree is in an area required for construction access, where it is dead, dying or hazardous as confirmed in writing by a Certified Arborist, where it directly interferes with utility wires and cannot be pruned to resolve that, or where it directly blocks sewer or drainage as certified by an accredited plumber or civil engineer. Without an active development or building permit application, section 6.C leaves only the last three of those grounds.
Section 7 then requires replacement planting within six months: one replacement tree for each dead, dying or hazardous tree removed and three for each other tree, at least one of them a conifer, with a minimum caliper of 5 centimetres, planted under the direction of a Certified Arborist or landscape architect and maintained for two years.
We assess the trees, confirm which bylaw and which thresholds apply, prepare the arborist report and supporting plans, submit the permit application, answer municipal questions during review, carry out the removal under the permit conditions, and complete the replacement planting. You deal with one contractor from the first site visit to the final inspection rather than coordinating a consultant, a crew and a landscaper separately.
It depends on which municipality you are in and on the tree. In the District of North Vancouver, section 7 of Tree Protection Bylaw 7671, 2012 prohibits cutting, damaging or removing a protected tree or a large-diameter tree, meaning any tree of 75 cm DBH or more, without a tree permit. In the City of North Vancouver, Tree Bylaw, 2022, No. 8888 applies to trees of 20 cm DBH or more, but section 2.A excludes a tree whose entire trunk is on a highway or on land zoned GO, RS-1, RS-2, RS-4B, RT-1 or RT-2, or in a CD zone based on those zones. Confirm your municipality and your zoning before booking any removal.
Under Tree Protection Bylaw 7671, protected trees are regulated at any size and include trees on or straddling District land, trees within a streamside protected area, trees on a steep slope with a slope angle greater than 20 degrees measured over a vertical distance of 3 metres or more, replacement, covenant, heritage and wildlife trees, old growth trees 250 years or older, trees on wetland or waterfront, trees inside the Protection of the Natural Environment, Streamside Protection and Slope Hazard Development Permit Areas, and Arbutus, Garry Oak, Oregon Ash, Pacific Yew, Western White Pine and Yellow-cedar. Separately, any tree of 75 cm DBH or more is a large-diameter tree and also needs a permit.
Yes, in both municipalities. Section 12 of District Bylaw 7671 requires a tree permit application to include a report from a certified arborist, and from a certified tree risk assessor where the tree is to be declared hazardous, with a site plan, tree inventory, removal methods, tree protection measures and a replanting plan. Section 5.A of City Tree Bylaw 8888 requires an arborist report prepared by a Certified Arborist with photographs of all trees on the site, plus a site plan, a tree protection plan and a tree replacement plan.
In the District, section 21 of Bylaw 7671 requires one replacement tree per large-diameter tree removed on a lot under 420 square metres and three on a lot of 420 square metres or more, but only where the lot will retain less than 20 percent canopy cover after the work. An environmental compensation fee may be paid instead. In the City, section 7 of Bylaw 8888 requires one replacement for each dead, dying or hazardous tree removed and three for each other tree, with at least one conifer, a minimum caliper of 5 cm, planting within six months and maintenance for two years.
In the District of North Vancouver, section 41 of Bylaw 7671 sets the penalty for removing a large-diameter tree without the required permit at the appraised value of the tree as determined by the Community Forester, up to $50,000. General offences carry a fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $50,000, and each individual tree is treated as a separate offence.
Yes. We run 24/7 emergency response across the North Shore for storm-damaged, failed and imminently hazardous trees. Where a permit would normally be required, both North Vancouver bylaws provide routes for genuinely hazardous trees that rest on a qualified written determination, so we document the tree properly at the same time as making the site safe.
Tell us about the tree, the property and whether a permit is already in progress, and we will get back to you within one business day.