Bushfires in Australia are more common during dry season, but homes and gardens are at risk of experiencing a fire all year round. If you are affected by a fire, you might think about ways to get your garden back to health afterwards. For safety reasons, you should tend to fire-damaged trees as quickly as possible, to prevent them from falling on people or property.
Flames can damage or even kill the trees in your yard. The damage done depends on the severity of the fire. It may just singe the trees, dry them out or scorch them, but if you’re really unlucky, a fire will completely consume them. You can recover many fire-damaged trees, so call a tree aborist in Melbourne to examine and repair the damage.
Remove Fire-Damaged Trees
Unfortunately, when a tree has been badly damaged, the safest thing to do is to have it removed. A fire-damaged tree is likely to fall because of defects to the structure, so is hazardous to people, property, other trees and electrical wires.
If a tree is badly damaged, but isn’t near another tree or a property, you might be able to save that tree. Water it first and hire a professional arborist so they can assess the hazards and advise you about whether or not removal is necessary.
Repair Burnt Trees
Some trees may have been damaged in a fire. The heat dries up the entire tree, including the roots, so you should focus on keeping the soil beneath the trees moist at all times. The water-absorbing roots are located in roughly the top foot of soil, so ensure the area is soaked to keep the tree healthy. You can do this by laying a hose on the ground and letting it slowly pour into the soil.
The canopy of the tree protects it from the sun, but it’s likely that the fire has burnt that down. To protect the trees from further damage, wrap the trunks and major branches in cardboard, cloth or tree wrap.
During spring, prune any dead branches to encourage growth and cut down any possible hazards.
The professional Melbourne tree arborists at Daryl’s Tree Care have years of experience in caring for damaged trees. We’ll make every effort to preserve fire damaged trees that have a chance of living and thriving, but you can rely on us to ensure your yard is safe and is well-prepared to continue growing after an event like a fire.
Give us a call on (03) 9897 4418 or send us a message online to let us know about how we can help your garden recover and flourish.
