Tree Storm Damage

Preparing for Storm Damaged Trees

As the Gold Coast will at times be exposed to severe storms, it is important that we are adequately prepared for the damaging force of these storms. Although trees have a remarkable ability to withstand the extreme loading of violent storms, there will be trees that will suffer severe damage and in some cases trees that are blown over, may cause serious damage to a house and put the family inside at risk.

During my storm response work on the Gold Coast, it has become very apparent as to the cause of the partial or complete tree failures. Storms damage to trees is very discriminatory, it is almost isolated to the trees of structural weaknesses:- bifurcated leaders & branches with included bark, severe termite hollowing and/or decay.

Please don’t underestimate the threat of your tree during storms. Not only are storms a threat to your trees, but a tree failure can be a very real threat to your family & your property.

Preparing For Storms

Having worked in the arborist industry for longer than 26yrs, it is normally very apparent to realise the structural weakness in a tree that had caused its failure. Our knowledge and experience of trees and storms, enables us to identify a weakness that makes or will in time make the tree vulnerable to failure. Fortunately many of these hazardous conditions can be effectively removed by our qualified tree climbing arborists when the appropriate methods of tree surgery are provided (depending on the health & structural condition of the tree).

If you have any tree concerns regarding the summer storms at your property this year, trust your intuition and contact Your Branch Manager to arrange for Peter Mckelvey to provide a free Tree Safety Assessment.

As a duty of care, the owners of rented properties should engage the services of a professional arborist to provide a Tree Safety Assessment or Tree Risk Assessment for the large trees on the property, every 3 to 4years depending on the structural condition and health of the significant trees.

Wild Life Rescue

When wild life is in a dangerous tree that has to be removed, the use of a crane may be required. Hollowed branches that are known the harbour wild life, will be secured to the crane and carefully lowered to the ground to avoid any risk of injury to the wild life.

Wild Care will always volunteer their services to ensure the wild life is provided the necessary post rescue care before the wild life is relocated to suitable location.

Tree Safety Assessment Gold Coast

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Tree Health & Safety Assessment Gold Coast

If you have any concerns regarding a tree on your property, please don’t hesitate to contact Your Branch Manager. Peter Mckelvey is available to visit your property at no charge and will undertake a tree safety assessment of your tree/s. Any conditions of poor health, die back, or poor structural conditions including decay, termite hollowing, previous storm damage and bifurcated branches or leaders with bark inclusion will be observed & recorded.

Aerial Inspection

Large trees might require ascending with rope climbing methods to allow for closer viewing of a possible weakness in the tree.

With the knowledge from tree safety assessments, Peter will provide advice and a detailed quote if required, regarding the necessary arborist’s pruning & surgery works required to remove the structural defects in your tree/s and to encourage improved health, structural integrity and safety.

The pruning & surgery techniques that are frequently used include:

Dead wooding – removal of dead branches and die back.
Correctional - removal or reduction of bifurcated branches & leaders with included bark, termite hollowing and structurally weak branches.
Directional Pruning - Removal of hazardous over hanging branches.
Canopy Thinning – Reduces wind loading and shade.
Canopy Reduction - Weight Load Reduction.
Canopy Lifting – improves driveway and pedestrian access.

When a hazardous tree has a moderate to high risk of failure, if there are no practical options available to establish a condition of safety in the tree, it’s removal will be recommended.

When do my Trees Need a Safety Assessment

The need for a tree assessment will vary depending on a trees health, structural condition, age, species, location, recent storms and previous pruning works.

I’m sure you notice things about your trees that others don’t and you’re probably better aware of their normal growth habits during the seasons and perhaps you have noticed when their health and or structure might be of concern. If ever you’re unsure or become concerned about your tree/s feel welcome to call Your Branch Manager and Peter will arrange to meet you onsite to assess your trees.

As a duty of care, the owners of rented properties should engage the services of a professional arborist to provide a Tree Safety Assessment or Tree Risk Assessment for the large trees on the property, every 3 to 4years, depending on the structural condition and health of the trees.

Pruning Fruit Trees

Professional Fruit Tree Pruning Services

In matured fruit trees it often becomes difficult to pick many of the fruit which are high in the upper canopy. As the lower canopy is normally heavily shaded the flowering and fruit set is normally poor

Your Branch Manager is available to provide the appropriate pruning that will promote your tree to produce more fruit on branches where the picking of fruits is more convenient.

Mango trees are a fine example of some of the pruning techniques that Your Branch Manager utilises to address a problem and the benefits that can be achieved.

Mango trees on the Gold Coat will grow to be of a moderate to large size, with a very dense canopy. If left unpruned the tree will grow to a considerable height, with most of the fruit too tall to be picked.

Unfortunately these tall ripening fruit will often attract fruit bats, which will in time decimate most of the fruit and will often leave their calling cards. Between the loss of fruit & the bat droppings, tall mango trees can be a problem.

These problems can be effectively addressed by suitable pruning. Your Branch Manager can selectively prune mango trees to reduce the canopy height, while improving the aeration and sunlight and fruit set to the lower canopy. The lower remaining branches will bear fruit that can be more easily picked and will be less prone to fruit bat damage . If the fruit bats continue to visit, mangos might need to be picked prior to becoming ripe or the tree can be covered with netting.

Refer To Tree Surgery for the control of Anthracnose and Bacterial Black Spot in Mangoes

Orchard Pruning

In most matured fruit tree orchards the cost of picking fruit from the taller branches of matured trees can become prohibitive, while the shading effect of the upper canopy reduces flowering & fruit set in the tree’s lower canopy.

Your Branch Manager is available to provide specialist orchard pruning. Selective, corrective pruning, a reduction of the upper canopy along with a canopy thinning will often reduce picking costs, improve fruit production & provide a financial benefit to the orchard.

Avocado Orchards

Most avocado orchards have been planted at inter row and inter tree spacing that has led to overcrowding and tall upper canopies. The overcrowding has led to shading between the trees at the expense of good flowering and fruit set and fruit on the upper tall canopy are prohibitive to pick.

Staghorning Avocados Trees

Many established orchards have found that the severe pruning technique of Staghorning has successfully established good cropping within a reasonable period of time.

Although I find it difficult to recommend the severe pruning technique of staghorning, for the management of avocado orchard it has proven to be successful.

When the trees are cut back to a main trunk stump with some short stubbed main leaders, the large off cuts are wood chipped, with the wood chips being spread back under the root zone of the trees. The composting wood chips will increase the populations of mycorrhizae and other beneficial microbesand will improve the soil/root environment.

If there is Phytophthora in the orchard, the wood chips will be composted for 4 - 6 months before being spread back around the trees.

The remaining stumps will need to be painted with a water based paint to avoid sunburn.

This pruning process can be efficiently provided by Your Branch Manager and with the bulk volume of wood chips and fruits that may be picked from the fallen tall branches, the cost of this pruning may be more affordable than you think.

Stump Grinding

Your Branch Manager can grind stumps of any size to 400mm depth below ground. Stump Grinding is to be considered for the following reasons:

To allow for building extensions.
To remove host wood for termites.
To remove a trip hazard.
To allow for replanting.

Wood Chipping

The tree branches we prune and the trees we fell on your property will be processed through our wood chipper, to produce a quality wood chip/mulch. If you wish to make use of the woodchips, we can off load them where ever it is convenient, at no cost to you.

Benefits of Wood chips:

Effective for weed control
Preserves soil moisture
Saves on the need and cost of watering
Increases the organic content and beneficial soil microbes
The net result is improved soil condition and in time tree health.