Palm types in Perth
Palms were planted all over Perth for that resort look, and some have since jumped the fence. Florabase, WA's plant census, lists the Canary Islands date palm as alien to Western Australia and records it growing wild on the Swan Coastal Plain. Bushland Perth lists the cotton palm, a Washingtonia fan palm, as a weed now established on river banks, the Swan River included.
That history explains a lot of the calls. Some people want the dead skirt of fronds cleaned off before winter. Some want the seed heads gone so the garden stops sprouting palms. And some have a palm that was a nice size in a pot years ago and now towers over the gutters.
Palm tree removal in Perth: what's local
Seed that heads for the river
Bushland Perth says cotton palm seeds from gardens wash down road drains and waterways into bushland. If your fan palm drops seed into the gutter, cutting the seed heads off is a small job that helps the river.
Winter fronts and loose fronds
Perth's wild weather comes on cold fronts from April to October. Dead fronds and heavy seed stalks are exactly the loose material DFES asks people to deal with before storm season.
Council height tests
WALGA's model tree policy, which several Perth councils have adopted in some form, treats a tree 8 metres or taller as regulated. A tall palm may meet that test. Whether palms count is a question for your council, so ask before one comes down.
Western Power and the street line
Fan palms grow straight up, often right under the wires. Western Power says homeowners must keep trees on their property clear of powerlines, and that the work is best left to someone qualified.
Trees and power lines in Perth
Don't pull, prune or hose a palm frond that's touching a line. WA's guidelines call the space above any line, and within 3.0 metres of lines up to 33,000 volts, a danger zone where a flashover can happen without contact. Call Western Power if a frond is on the line or sparking, and keep everyone 8 metres back from any damaged line.
How palm removal and cleaning work in Perth
A palm isn't cut like a gum. It has one growing point at the top, so it can't be shaped or reduced, only cleaned or removed. A clean takes the dead and dying fronds and the seed stalks, leaving the green crown. Cutting into the green to make it look tidy weakens the palm.
Removal near a house usually happens from the top down, in sections, so nothing heavy hits the roof. Date palms carry long spines at the base of each frond, and an old skirt can be packed tight with dead fronds and nesting animals. That's why palm work at height is an arborist's job, with the gear to do it from a platform or a harness, and why the quote should say how the trunk is coming down.
Questions to ask about palm trees in Perth
- Will you take the seed heads as well as the dead fronds?
- How will the trunk come down, and is there room to drop it in sections?
- Is the palm close enough to the street line that Western Power needs to be involved?
- Do I need to check with council first, given the palm's height?
- What happens to the stump and the frond waste?
- Can I see your public liability insurance?
Palm tree removal in Perth: what you can do yourself
You can
- Pull out palm seedlings and small plants by hand, any time of year
- Cut low dead fronds on short palms with both feet on the ground, wearing thick gloves
- Sweep up fallen seed before it reaches the drain
- Keep people and cars out from under a palm with a loose dead skirt
Leave to an arborist
- Anything you'd need a ladder for
- Palms near any power line, including the service line to the house
- Removing a palm taller than the gutter
- Spiny date palm fronds at height
Hiring an arborist for palm trees in Perth
If the palm is healthy and nowhere near the lines, a clean before April is often all it needs, and taking the seed heads at the same time keeps it from spreading. If it's leaning over the roof or the wires, we'd get it assessed in person, ask the council whether its height brings it under a tree policy, and only then book the removal.