Bushfire season brings a significant threat to Australians, especially to those living in rural areas. It is overly destructive and can be difficult to contain once the fire has started.
From 2019 to 2020, the country has experienced the most catastrophic bushfires, with up to 19 million hectares burnt. A large portion of the affected area was forest and bushland, destroying habitats and killing over 1.25 billion animals.
When it comes to bushfire risk and tree management in Sydney, acting early and continuously is the key to effectiveness. As such, we need to be aware of the dangers and the right strategies to mitigate the fire severity before it happens.
Bushfire Season’s High-Risk Trees
Many factors can affect trees’ overall condition. High-risk trees that may spread fires are often those with health issues and structural damage. However, neglected and overgrown trees can also be dangerous as they provide excessive fuel for a fire.
Moreover, imbalanced trees can add fuel and help the fire spread quickly, burning more and more trees. While it’s obvious that large mature trees bring the biggest threat during a bushfire, the branches can also put your safety at stake.
If you’ve noticed dangerous trees on your site, it’s best to have an expert arborist check them and determine what procedure to undertake for risk elimination or reduction.
The experts will tell you whether you need tactical lopping and pruning or complete tree removal to ensure safety from high-risk trees.
Preventing Bushfire from Starting in Your Property
Rural areas in Sydney are typically abundant with trees and greeneries. If you’re in the countryside, you probably have various trees in and around your property.
However, trees are primarily the cause of bushfires. Hence, it’s essential to know how to keep your trees safe and prevent a bushfire from starting within your property.
Bushfire and Tree Management Activities
There are two categories of bushfire and tree management activities. These are firefighting and fire prevention.
During a bushfire emergency, protecting life and property is always the major concern. Firefighting refers to the immediate responses taken to manage and prevent bushfires from harming life and property.
On the other hand, fire prevention involves actions that prevent or lower fire severity risk before it actually happens. Preparing for future fire seasons includes tree risk assessment procedures. These measures allow early identification of tree issues to minimise potential bushfire threats.
Certified arborists best handle a proactive search for any bushfire risk in your property. They can devise and apply risk mitigation techniques to significantly reduce the hazards of vicious fires caused by your trees.
The national environment law does not prohibit any required actions from suppressing bushfires, nor does it control the procedures taken to fight fires.
However, firefighting and fire prevention activities with significant impacts on nationally protected matters are subject to compliance actions. You might also need federal approval before undertaking such responses.
While you’re at it, know that some activities might be exempt from the regulation of national environment law. Your trusted arborist in Sydney will help you understand all of these things and keep your trees safe.
Tree Trimming for Power Line Clearance
Neglected trees can overgrow with thick and long branches obstructing power lines. This situation poses a high risk of starting a fire and needs immediate action.
You can clear power line obstructions by trimming or pruning your trees regularly. Ensure that the branches don’t go near electric cables as they can interrupt connection and spark a fire.
Complete Tree Removal
Another best way to reduce the potential of starting a bushfire in your property is by removing high-risk trees. Trees will eventually deteriorate, and you might need to remove them in order to maintain your site’s overall safety.
Don’t let yourself worry about having trees that may start a bushfire at any moment. Ask your trusted arborist to assess and remove your trees when necessary.
Conclusion
Bushfires are extremely dangerous which could lead to life and property destruction. No one would want to see a bushfire starting within their property.
Hence, taking proactive measures to implement effective bushfire risk and tree management strategies is essential for your trees and property’s overall safety.
With the help of professional arborists from Trees Down Under, you can take care of your trees and mitigate the risk of bushfire severity.
If things get too tough, just give our team a call anytime, and we will extend a helping hand to you at any time.
