Post-Storm Check-up: The Arborist’s Secret to a Healthy Recovery

Welcome to the New Year, where the mangoes are ripe, the humidity is high, and the summer storms are notoriously unpredictable. If you’ve just been through a wild weather event, the kind that leaves your wheelie bins upside down and leaves scattered around the neighbourhood, your focus is likely on clearing the debris from your driveway and checking the fence line. 

But for your larger trees, the recovery work has only just begun.

Many trees that appear to have survived a major storm perfectly fine at first glance might be harbouring invisible injuries. High winds don’t just snap branches; they can cause internal cracks, splits or fractures in the wood, especially at the point where heavy branches join the main trunk which could cause them to crack fully and slough off. The branch might not fall right away, it could hold on for weeks or months, only to drop suddenly without warning on a calm, sunny afternoon when you’re relaxing underneath it. A simple visual check by the untrained eye, isn’t enough after a serious storm. You can’t just assume a tree is fine because it didn’t fall or break.

That’s where a professional post-storm check-up becomes crucial for long-term safety. An arborist is properly trained to inspect the entire crown of the tree, looking for subtle signs of stress, structural damage that is not visible from the ground, and hidden cracks. Our experience means that we’re uniquely qualified to see what you might not, and we can spot the tell-tale signs of a failing limb before it turns into a real problem.

Beyond identifying potential hazards, an arborist can perform expert remedial pruning. When a branch breaks unevenly, it tears the bark and creates a large, jagged wound that is difficult for the tree to heal. We can do a clean, proper pruning cut to allow the tree to compartmentalise the wound effectively and begin the healing process, preventing decay from setting in.

Attempting to climb a damaged, unstable tree yourself is seriously risky business and should be avoided at all costs, even if the branch looks easy to reach. 

Let us safely remove the danger, repair the damage, and promote proper growth so your tree can properly recover. Think of it as post-holiday physical therapy for your entire yard, making sure everything is structurally sound before the next inevitable downpour hits. A small investment in a professional check-up now saves you a much larger, potentially dangerous and expensive headache later.

Need help or have any questions? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with Ecological Tree Services or call on 07 3520 8661.   

-Alex the Arborist