Why Autumn is the Ideal Time for Tree Removal in Melbourne

Melbourne’s trees almost never look better than they do in autumn. As the weather starts to cool off, foliage becomes a riot of red, orange, and gold, and suburban streets turn scenic. Once you’ve started feeling the leaves crunch beneath your feet, you’ve officially hit the best time for tree removal. 

Tree maintenance should always be treated as a priority to ensure your safety and prevent hazards before the winter storms hit. In autumn, trees aren’t actively growing — meaning that a tree trimming and removal service is less likely to cause any damage to your plants and the surrounding landscape. In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into why this is the best season to book for tree removal with MTS.

Why Is Autumn the Best Time for Tree Removal?

Autumn is the best time for tree removal for four key reasons: tree dormancy, consistent weather, getting ahead of winter, and cost-efficiency. Let’s explore further: 

Tree Dormancy: During autumn, trees enter a slower growth phase, making their pruning and removal less stressful for the environment and other plants. Trees are stressed out when you prune or damage them during hot weather or a growing season. If there’s any chance that your other trees could be affected by a removal service, avoid scheduling one in spring or summer. 

Stable Weather: Unlike Melbourne’s stormy summers and unpredictable winters, autumn offers relatively calm weather, reducing risks for tree removal professionals. The team at MTS are experts in tree removal, but nobody wants to be up a ladder in rain and gale-force winds if they can avoid it. 

Preparing for Winter: Weak or diseased trees can pose a risk in winter storms. Winter is the time of high winds and wild weather — making it all the more likely that your dead tree limbs will go flying between June and August. Removing trees in autumn prevents property damage and improves safety.

Cost-Effective Timing: Speaking of winter, this is the arborist’s busy season. Many homeowners don’t consider how dangerous their weak or diseased trees are until the first big storm hits. Winter and summer are both busy periods, thanks to the more frequent extreme weather events. With less demand compared to peak seasons, autumn offers better availability and potentially lower costs for tree trimming and removal services.

Tree Health Assessment: How to Identify Hazardous Trees

If you’ve got any concerns about a tree on your property, autumn is the perfect time to book a tree health assessment. This service is a professional inspection where an expert arborist will check out your trees for diseases, structural weaknesses, and risks. If they consider one of your trees to be a concern, they’ll also make a plan for the safest way to remove it. 

Not sure if you’ve got hazardous trees? Keep your eye out for leaning or unstable trunks, cracks in the bark, dead or rotted-looking branches, or fungal growth at the base. If you see any of these symptoms, call MTS right away. Speedy maintenance now prevents an emergency later.

Emergency Tree Removal: Addressing Immediate Risks

Sometimes, we leave maintenance a bit late. Other times, a sudden storm and strong winds will transform a previously healthy tree into a hefty hazard. There are many reasons your trees can become an urgent issue. If you’re lucky, your tree will fall onto your lawn. If you’re unlucky, it could fall onto your roof, car, or power lines. 

If you’ve heard that heart-stopping ‘crack’ that means a tree has come down, MTS can help. We’re available 24 hours a day for emergencies — such as a tree that has fallen onto your home or is blocking your exit. Our emergency tree removal services are also here to help you with the clean-up after a big storm. We’ll remove the downed tree, turn all the green waste into wood chips, and prune any other affected trees to restore them to health. 

If your tree has fallen on powerlines, call 000. Broken and fallen power lines can still conduct electricity, posing a high risk of deadly electric shock and fire. 

A bit of autumn maintenance is always easier and cheaper than an emergency clean-up crew, so if you can, try to keep your eye out for these warning signs: sudden uprooting, branches falling unexpectedly, and limbs growing close to power lines. Don’t forget, if you’re a homeowner, you’re responsible for keeping your trees from interfering with power lines. 

Understanding Council Guidelines & Tree Management in Melbourne

Of course, you can always tackle the easy bits of autumnal tree maintenance yourself. Many green thumbs enjoy getting outside to do a bit of pruning and trimming. However, anything that involves a chainsaw, a high ladder, or ropes should be left to the experts. Safety first! Arborists are also experts in local council tree regulations, which are more common than you might think. 

Many council areas designate trees as protected, requiring a permit before removal. You’ll also find that most suburbs around Melbourne are covered by tree management guidelines that ensure urban greenery is preserved. An experienced arborist will ensure you’re in compliance with local regulations and provide the tree reports and impact assessments you may need to give to the council before removing a tree. 

Book MTS This Autumn

Thanks to weather stability and tree dormancy, autumn is the best time for tree removal. Get prepped for the upcoming winter storms and safeguard your property with tree trimming and removal services from MTS. Our extensive tree health assessments will confirm whether your trees could be hazardous when the heavy winds start up, and we’ll help you decide the most efficient way to remove anything risky. Peace of mind is just a phone call away.