The Tree Blog

Archive for November, 2008

A Current Affair recently ran a segment on people being ripped off by door-knocking tree loppers pretending to be professional arborists.

Make sure you do your homework before hiring someone for this sort of thing.

Apparently a 45 year old woman has been hit by a falling palm tree in Algester in Brisbane.

And some more post-storm damage.  This time a tree torn off in Scarborough near Redcliffe.

If you are in Brisbane and you haven’t already contacted an arborist to check your trees, you are putting your whole family at risk.  I’ve seen trees which were weakened before the storm, the storm now makes them timebombs.

The recent storms in South East Queensland are a huge reminder to everyone that prevention is better than cure.

Check out the damage that some of these trees have done from these photos from the Courier Mail:

Tree falls on stairs at front of house

Tree falls on car and lifts pavement

Tree falls on roof and causes structural and tile damage

Damage at Keperra

Damage to Keperra Picnic Grounds

Giant gum tree home to cockatoo snapped in two

Tree falls at Iron Bark Gully – roots and all

More fallen trees at Iron Bark Gully

Damage caused by fallen branches at Ferny Grove Skate Park

Tree falls roots and all at Ferny Grove

Tree uprooted and falls on wire fence at Kedron

Tree uprooted in Upper Kedron

Tree falls on power lines at Everton Park

Tree falls and rips roof at Ferny Grove

Tree takes out power poles at Ferny Grove

Trees land on house roof at Ferny Grove

Trees reduced to rubble at Ferny Hills

Tree uprooted in Ferny Hills

Eucalypt snaps in half near house in Ferny Hills

Trees take out power lines at Keperra

Roof split in two by fallen tree at Keperra

Tin shed destroyed by fallen trees at Keperra

Trees tangle with power lines at The Gap

Power poles felled by trees at The Gap

Whole tree on the roof of a small car at The Gap

Tree falls in swimming pool at The Gap

Tree falls on car and St Peter Chanel School at The Gap

Car crushed by fallen tree at The Gap

The Gap State School hit by fallen trees

Burpengary State School hit by fallen trees

Trees block roads in Burpengary

Trees block roads at Wonglepong

130 year old fig falls down at Mt Tamborine

Trees fall on bike path at Bridgeman Downs

Fallen gum trees at Arana Hills

Tree blocks road at Everton Hills

Trees in landslide at Albany Creek

Tree falls on verandah at Eatons Hill

Trees down at Bray Park

Ferny Grove police station struck by fallen tree

Having been involved in the cleanup operation I can say that these photos and news reports simply don’t do this event justice.  From the air parts of Brisbane must have looked like a disaster area.

Lightning and wind can take make small fodder of even large trees that are positioned too close to property.

From some of these scenes it is very lucky that more haven’t been seriously hurt.

And many of these people wouldn’t be fully covered by insurance.

Sure, its been keeping me busy helping in the cleanup, but I could have probably saved many of these people thousands of dollars and their property.

The cost of not doing anything is just too great ….