Every year the same thing happens. The first cyclone watch goes out and every arborist phone in Cairns rings at once. The best time to deal with a risky tree is a calm day in the dry season, not the afternoon before a system crosses the coast.
Walk your yard and look for
- Dead or hanging branches, especially over the house, driveway or pool.
- Cracks or splits in the trunk or where big branches join.
- Mushrooms or fungal brackets near the base or on the trunk.
- A new lean, or soil heaving and cracking on one side.
- Coconut bunches and dead palm fronds.
- Branches touching or close to power lines.
- Trees affected by recent building work, trenching or new paving.
Clean up the small stuff
Loose fronds, coconuts and garden debris become flying objects in strong wind. A palm clean and de-nut is one of the cheapest bits of cyclone preparation you can do.
Do not over-prune
It is tempting to cut everything back hard. Heavy thinning can stress trees, cause weak regrowth and sometimes make wind behaviour worse. Target the real hazards and leave healthy canopy alone.
After a storm
- Keep people and pets away from fallen or leaning trees.
- If power lines are down, stay well clear and call Ergon on 13 16 70.
- Take photos for your insurer before anything is moved.
- Call a qualified arborist rather than tackling tensioned timber with a chainsaw yourself.
We run pre-season walk-throughs from July to October. You get a priority list from urgent to optional, with prices, and you choose what gets done.
James Wilde
Head Arborist, Coral Coast Tree Care. 19+ years in the trees around Cairns.
Head Arborist, Coral Coast Tree Care. 19+ years in the trees around Cairns.
