How to Prepare Your Trees and Garden Before Storm Season Hits

Bob and Ben - The Tree Men

The NSW SES officially runs storm season from September through to April, with the worst of it usually landing between November and February. That gives Sutherland Shire homeowners a fairly clear window to get their garden storm-ready before things get busy.

A bit of preparation now can be the difference between a nervous night listening to wind and rain, and a genuine call to the SES. The biggest risks are often the easiest to fix when you know what to look for.

Clear Out Dead Wood First

Dead branches are the first thing to go in strong wind, and they're often the easiest problem to fix. Walk your garden and look for any deadwood sitting in the canopy, particularly over the roof, driveway, or anywhere people regularly walk. Removing it now takes away one of the biggest sources of storm damage before it becomes one.

Cut Back Anything Overhanging the House

Branches resting on or near the roofline can cause damage even in moderate wind, let alone during a proper storm. The same goes for limbs hanging over gutters, which tend to drop leaves and debris that block water flow right when you need it clear. A round of tree pruning before storm season reduces both the physical risk to your roof and the ongoing maintenance headache.

Check Clearance Around Power Lines

Trees growing into or near power lines are a serious hazard once wind picks up, both for the risk of outages and the fire and safety risk of live wires coming down. If you've got trees anywhere near overhead lines on your property, it's worth having a professional power line clearing assessment done well ahead of storm season rather than waiting for the local network provider to flag it.

Assess Larger or Older Trees for Stability

Big, established trees are usually the ones that cause the most damage when they fail, simply because of their size. If you've got a large tree you've never had properly assessed, or one that's looked a bit off the past year or two, storm season prep is a good prompt to get it checked. It's far easier to address a stability issue in dry, calm weather than after the tree is already leaning further with every gust.

Tidy Up Loose Items and Storm Debris

Anything loose in the yard, from stacked branches to garden furniture, becomes a projectile in high wind. If a recent prune or trim has left offcuts and mulch lying around, get it cleared before the season really kicks in. A tree mulching and wood chipping service turns that debris into something useful for garden beds, rather than leaving loose material sitting around the property waiting for the next gust to move it somewhere it shouldn't be.

Don't Leave It to the Last Minute

Every year, the run-up to storm season gets busy fast, and emergency call-outs understandably take priority once the wind and rain actually arrive. Booking your pruning, clearance, or tree assessment in August or early September means you're sorted before the rush and not scrambling for a slot once the first big storm warning goes out.

Get in touch with Bob & Ben The Tree Men now to book your pre-storm season assessment and get your garden ready before the weather turns.

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Over 25 years ago, Bob and Ben planted the seeds of what would become one of the most popular and trusted tree service businesses in the Sutherland Shire.

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