Stump grinding in Maleny: what's local
High and wet
Maleny sits at approximately 450 metres on a basalt-capped plateau, and its average rainfall is about 2,000 mm a year, heaviest from January to March. Soft, wet ground changes how heavy gear gets around a block.
What's left of the rainforest
Thick sub-tropical rainforest once covered the district, and heavy logging almost stripped the hills around town. What remains is mostly on the steeper ground and in the Mary Cairncross remnant, which council lists as 55 hectares of sub-tropical rainforest at 148 Mountain View Road.
Timber, then dairy
Maleny was a timber town until the early 1920s, then a centre for dairying and fruit growing. With most forest gone from the gentler ground, the biggest natives are often on the steepest parts of a block.
Creeks and the dam
Baroon Pocket Dam, built in 1989 in North Maleny, is fed by Obi Obi Creek. Blocks near creeks are where council's biodiversity, waterways and wetlands overlay is most likely to show up.
Tree removal permits in Maleny
On the Sunshine Coast, a tree can be protected by the vegetation management code in the 2014 planning scheme, by that overlay, by a vegetation covenant, a drainage easement or old approval conditions. Two parts of council's rules matter more here than on the coast: a permit may be needed for pruning so hard the tree is likely to die, and for clearing understorey plants below the canopy. In a rainforest garden, the understorey is half the garden.
Council's Development.i site report shows what's mapped for your address. Its proposed new planning scheme includes a steep land policy, but it isn't in force unless council adopts it. The Sunshine Coast permit page explains how to apply.
Stump grinding in Maleny
Ask early how the grinder will reach the stump. A machine that's fine on a flat lawn may not cope with a wet slope, and on some banks the better answer is to cut the stump low and leave the roots holding the soil.
Where it does come out, there's a good reason to grind it: Gardening Australia says fungi often move onto a stump after the tree is cut, and a big root system can feed them for decades. Safe Work Australia's guide says to check for underground services before grinding deeper than 200mm. Stump grinding on the Sunshine Coast covers what's left behind.
Storm damage and fallen trees in Maleny
Stay clear
Keep everyone away from fallen and hung-up trees, especially on a slope. Call 000 if anyone is in danger.
Lines and the SES
Report fallen lines to Energex and treat them as live. For a tree on the house or across your access, call the SES.
Council land
A tree down from a council road or park is council's: phone council.
Hiring an arborist in Maleny
Pull the Development.i site report first and see what's mapped. If the tree is part of a rainforest patch, ask council before anything is pruned hard or cleared underneath. Then get an arborist on site to look at the slope and the ground, because on the range, access decides whether a stump is ground out or left.