Which Trees Are Most Likely to Fail in a Sutherland Shire Storm

Bob and Ben - The Tree Men

Some trees seem to shrug off wild storms, while others come down after a few hours of strong wind. It's not always about size, either. The species, the way it grows, and the condition it's in all play a part. If you've got mature trees in your yard, it's worth knowing which ones deserve a closer look before storm season arrives.

Shallow-Rooted Species

Some tree species naturally develop shallow, wide-spreading root systems rather than deep anchoring roots. Cocos palms are a common example seen around the Shire, and their root structure gives them less to hold onto in saturated ground during heavy rain and wind. Trees planted in shallow or compacted soil, or in confined spaces near paths and driveways, face the same issue regardless of species, since their roots simply don't have room to establish the depth they'd otherwise get.

Large Eucalypts With Co-Dominant Stems

Many of the large gums found across Sutherland Shire properties are fundamentally strong trees, but a specific structural issue increases their storm risk: co-dominant stems, where two main trunks grow from roughly the same point instead of one dominant leader. This creates a naturally weak union that's prone to splitting under wind load, particularly in older or larger specimens. It's worth having any large eucalypt with this kind of double-trunk structure looked at, since the failure point is often higher in the canopy and not obvious from the ground.

Trees With a History of Limb Drop

Eucalypts in particular are known for occasionally dropping large limbs without obvious warning, a phenomenon sometimes called summer branch drop. It tends to happen during hot, dry weather rather than storms specifically, but a tree with a track record of dropping limbs is generally showing a broader structural issue that puts it at higher risk once genuine storm-force wind gets involved.

Trees Weakened by Root Rot or Past Storm Damage

Any tree, regardless of species, that's been affected by root rot, fungal decay, or damage from a previous storm carries elevated risk going into the next one. Damage tends to compound rather than heal cleanly, and a tree that lost a major limb last season is often left unbalanced and more exposed to wind from a new direction.

Trees Planted Too Close to Structures

This one isn't about species so much as position. A perfectly healthy tree planted close to a house, fence, or power line simply has less margin for error if it does fail. Wind that a well-positioned tree would ride out without issue becomes a far bigger risk when the tree in question is metres from a roofline.

What This Means for Your Property

If you've got any of these situations in your garden, a cocos palm near the back fence, a large gum with a forked trunk, or a tree that's already dropped a limb or two, it's worth having it looked at by a professional tree arborist Sutherland Shire before storm season sets in. An arborist can assess root health, structural integrity, and canopy balance, and recommend the right next step, from selective pruning through to full removal.

For palms specifically, palm tree removal is a specialised job that requires different techniques and equipment to standard tree removal, so it's worth using a crew experienced with the species.

For larger eucalypts or trees that are clearly beyond saving, our full tree removal services team in the Sutherland Shire can handle the job safely, including trees with structural issues that make them more complex to bring down.

The goal isn't to remove every mature tree. It's to identify the few that are far more likely to become a problem once the wind picks up. Bob & Ben The Tree Men can help you make that call before storm season arrives.

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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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