Caloundra to Noosa
Tree pruning and trimming on the Sunshine Coast
Most big trees near a house never need to come down. They need the dead wood out, the branches off the roof and enough of the crown opened up that a storm can blow through it.
Pruning and trimming
What gets cut, and why
A good prune changes the shape of a tree very little. What it changes is how much of the tree can fall on something.
Dead wood
Dead and broken branches taken out of the canopy. It is the wood that drops on a still day, and from the ground there is nearly always more of it up there than anyone can see.
Roof and gutter clearance
Branches lifted off the roof, out of the gutters and back from the solar panels, measured to where they sit when the wind is up rather than on a calm afternoon.
Crown thinning
Selected branches taken out where they start, so the wind goes through the crown instead of pushing against it. The outline stays the same and the tree carries less sail.
Weight reduction
One or two long, heavy limbs shortened back to a side branch that can take over, leaving no stub for rot to get into.
How it works
What happens after you get in touch
The council question is answered before the price, and nothing is booked until you have the quote in writing and have said yes to it.
- 1
Tell us about the tree
The suburb, what the tree stands near and what you would like done with it.
- 2
Someone comes to look
A tree contractor who covers your area sees the tree, the access and whatever is underneath it.
- 3
The council position is checked
Lot size, how close the tree is to the house and the mapping on the block decide whether an application comes first.
- 4
Quoted in writing
Scope, timber, stump and date set out on one page. Nothing is booked until you accept it.
Pruning questions
Timing, how often, and next door
When is the best time to prune up here?
Most pruning can be done in any month on the coast. Taking weight out is worth doing before the summer storms rather than after them, and a flowering tree like a poinciana is better left until it has finished.
How often does a big tree need it?
Every two or three years is typical for a large tree near the house. Young trees do better with lighter cuts more often, because the early cuts decide the shape they grow into.
Can the branches coming over from next door be cut back?
Talk to the neighbour before anyone cuts. The council points to the Neighbourhood Disputes Resolution Act, under which proper care and maintenance of a tree is the responsibility of the owner of the tree, and a contractor will want both of you agreed before touching branches that cross the fence.
Is trimming different from pruning?
Not really. People say trimming when they mean the lighter end, cutting growth back off a path or a fence, and pruning when they mean the whole job, dead wood and thinning included. The quote describes the cuts either way.
