Storm damage and fallen trees in The Gap
In November 2008, severe storms tore through The Gap. Within days, QBuild crews had visited 1,049 homes around the suburb, and the work included cutting and stacking trees and vegetation around houses as well as temporary roof repairs.
So it's a fair question to ask of any big tree near the house: will it hold next time? An arborist can assess it in person, look for decay and weak forks, and tell you whether a prune makes it safer or it's time for it to go.
Tree removal in The Gap: what's local
Bushland on the doorstep
Council's neighbourhood plan notes describe The Gap as 12 km from the CBD but close to Mt Coot-tha and D'Aguilar National Park. Brisbane says bushfire season usually runs August to December, and preparing matters most near bushland.
Big trees the plan wants kept
The Gap neighbourhood plan, added to City Plan in 2019, aims to protect the green and leafy character, including existing large shade trees, and describes low density homes complemented by established vegetation.
Eleven trees on the overlay
The 2019 amendment added 11 established trees to City Plan's Significant landscape tree overlay: forest red gums, a Moreton Bay fig, a flooded gum, a weeping fig, a small-leaved fig, a hoop pine and a poinciana. Other protected trees may not be mapped individually.
Street trees and lines
Council looks after street trees. Where one grows through or within one metre of overhead lines, Energex takes the request.
Tree jobs you can do yourself in The Gap
You can
- Clear gutters and rake dry leaves and sticks away from the house
- Trim small branches back from paths where you can reach from the ground
- Look up your address on City Plan's Bushfire overlay map
- Photograph big trees' bases and forks so changes are easy to spot
Leave to an arborist
- Branches over the roof that need a climb or a cherry picker
- Checking a big gum or fig for decay
- Removing a tree that might be protected
- Clearing around the house in a hazard area, after council's rules are checked
Hiring an arborist in The Gap
We'd have an arborist assess big trees near the house in late winter, before both the fire and storm seasons. If one has to go, we'd get the protected vegetation report and the arborist's reasons in writing first, because here the default is that big trees stay.