Baulkham Hills Storm Damage

Baulkham Hills

Hills Shire Council

1 day

A recent storm had brought down a branch from a liquidambar onto a pool area.

Retrieval of the branch from the pool without further damage to the area.

Branch was successfully removed from the pool and the area was cleared of all debris.

An unusual one on the job list for the day where a storm had brought down quite a substantial branch from a Liquidambar styraciflua onto a pool area, with a good amount of the branch itself ending up in the water. The branch in question had to be retrieved carefully from where it had come to rest inside the pool first before it could be processed further, something that proved to be a bit of a challenge in itself. The fallen branch had also collected part of the pool roller cover as it fell, further highlighting the damage that fallen limbs can do to property and the risk they pose during storms. A large limb can sheer under wind or rain load which, unfortunately, can be nearly impossible to predict. Measures can be taken to reduce the risk and hazard of such an event such as selective pruning, along with branch and canopy reductions. But, depending on the species in question, the overall risk, while relatively low, can be hard to eliminate altogether. At the end of the morning’s work, a successful removal of the fallen branch and debris was carried out and the pool area was returned to its normal status, albeit with the damage to the roller cover from the fallen branch. The wound on the tree from where the branch broke away was tidied up and brought back to the collar to allow for healthy callusing and low likelihood of disease or pest entry.