Book it in winter, not in October
Storm season in southern Sydney runs roughly October to March, and every tree crew in the Shire is busy from the first big change onward. Work booked in August happens in August. The same work booked in November sits in a queue behind people whose trees are already on a roof.
If you only do one thing differently this year, do it earlier.
The list that matters
Deadwood in mature eucalypts. The highest value work per dollar there is, because dead limbs are what come down first and they come down in no wind at all. Priority goes to anything over a driveway, a bedroom or a play area.
Hangers. A broken limb caught in the canopy will fall eventually. Get it out rather than watching it all summer.
Long horizontal limbs with heavy ends. End-weight reduction on an angophora limb reaching over the house lowers the leverage at the union. See the angophora article for why these matter here.
Canopy density on exposed blocks. Ridge tops at Menai and Bangor, and the open coastal frontage, need thinning so wind passes through rather than height reduction.
A look at the base. Walk around each large tree and check for soil lift on the uphill side, new cracks, fungal brackets, or a cavity you had not noticed. The failure risk article explains what each one means.
Gutters and downpipes. Not tree work, but a blocked gutter turns a normal storm into an internal water damage claim, and leaf load from your trees is the usual cause.
The non-tree preparation
Know where your main switch is and what your insurer needs photographed. Clear the side access so a crew can actually reach the backyard at 10pm without moving three bikes and a trailer. Park the car where a limb is not directly over it.
Save the numbers: triple zero for immediate danger, SES on 132 500 for making a property safe, your electricity network operator for anything involving wires, and a tree crew for the removal afterwards. The emergency page sets out what happens in what order.
What is not worth paying for
Preventive removal of a healthy, structurally sound tree because a storm is forecast. Topping anything. Cabling and bracing installed without a proper assessment of the union it is meant to support. And clearing every leaf from the yard in November, which achieves nothing except a tidy yard in November.
After the event
Photograph everything before it moves — insurers ask, and so does the council if the tree was protected. Do not walk under a hung-up limb to get a better photo.
For pre-season work anywhere in the Shire, call (02) 9538 7974 or start at the service areas page.