Post-Storm Tree Inspection in Sydney
What to check safely once the weather has passed.
Sydney tree care guide
Top 5 Signs You Need Emergency Tree Removal in Sydney
"Emergency" gets used loosely. A tree dropping leaves into the pool is annoying. A tree resting on the roof is an emergency. Most situations sit somewhere in between, and it helps to know which is which — both so you do not sit on something dangerous, and so you are not paying for an after-hours callout for something that could wait until Tuesday.
Here are the five situations we would call genuinely urgent, what to do while you are waiting, and what does not need to be an emergency.
1. The tree has come down, or is resting on something
A tree on a roof, a fence, a car, a shed or another tree is holding weight in a way it was never meant to. It can shift when the load changes, when the wind picks up, or when someone pulls at a branch.
What to do: keep everyone out of the area, including pets. Do not try to prop it, pull it or cut anything off it. If it is on a building people are inside, get them out and away.
2. A large limb is hanging in the canopy
A broken branch caught up in the tree is the one that catches people out. Everything looks calm, the storm has passed, and then it drops days later onto whatever is underneath.
What to do: work out what is beneath it — a path, a driveway, a play area, an entrance — and keep people away from that space entirely. Do not walk under it to get a better photo.
3. The trunk has split, or a major branch join has torn open
A split trunk or a torn main branch union means the structure holding the tree up has failed. Fresh pale timber showing through a crack is a bad sign.
What to do: treat the whole fall zone as unsafe, in every direction. Split trees do not always fall the way the lean suggests.
4. The tree has developed a new lean, with movement at the base
A tree that has changed angle, especially with soil lifted, domed or cracked on one side of the trunk, or a visible gap opening at ground level, has moved at the roots.
What to do: stay out of the fall zone and do not park under it. Wet ground holds a tree less firmly, so it can move again with more rain.
5. A tree or branch is touching, or close to, a powerline
This is the one where the answer is never "have a go".
What to do: stay at least 8 metres — about two car lengths — away from any fallen or damaged powerline, and treat every wire as live. Call Triple Zero 000 in a life-threatening situation. Report it to your electricity distributor: Ausgrid 13 13 88, Endeavour Energy 131 003. Do not prune, clear or move anything near the line, and do not let anyone else either.
Recognise any of these on your property?
Call us and describe what has happened, where the tree is and what it is on or over. We provide 24/7 emergency tree services across Sydney.
Emergency tree services
What to do while you are waiting
- Keep people, pets and vehicles out of the area, and further back than feels necessary.
- Do not attempt to move, cut, prop or tie anything.
- Take photos from a safe distance if you can — they help us and they help your insurer.
- Note what the tree is on or over, and how a crew and truck can get in.
- If it involves a powerline, keep 8 metres clear and call 000 or your distributor first.
- For storm and flood help, NSW SES is on 132 500.
What usually does not need an after-hours callout
Being straight with you saves you an unnecessary callout.
- Leaves, small twigs and seed pods on the ground.
- A dead branch high in the canopy with nothing underneath it.
- Roots lifting a path.
- A tree you have been meaning to deal with that has not changed.
- Branches over the roof that have been there for years.
All of these are real jobs worth booking — normally Tree Removal Sydney or Tree Pruning Sydney, and Signs You Need Tree Removal in Sydney helps you work out which. They are just not after-hours jobs.
If you are not sure which list your tree belongs on, treat it as urgent and call us.
What happens when we attend
We look at the tree, what it is resting on or over, the ground at the base and how the property can be accessed, then we work out how to bring the material down under control rather than simply cutting and dropping it. Where the tree can be kept, we say so. Where it cannot, we quote the removal and the clean-up. Storm work specifically is covered on Storm Damage and Emergency Tree Removal Sydney, and eligible material can be taken away as Green Waste Removal Sydney.
We do the physical tree work. We are not a report service and we do not decide council requirements.
Frequently asked questions
A tree down or resting on something, a hanging limb over anywhere people go, a split trunk, a new lean with ground movement, or anything involving a powerline.
Only if it is small, light, loose and not caught up or under tension. If it is large, propped, or holding weight, leave it and tell us about it.
No. A caught limb can drop without warning. Keep everyone out of the space underneath it and contact us.
Stay at least 8 metres away, keep everyone else away, call 000 if anyone is in danger, and report it to Ausgrid on 13 13 88 or Endeavour Energy on 131 003.
Approval requirements can depend on the council area, the tree and the work being proposed. Check the current requirements for your own council on our Council Tree Removal Rules Sydney page. We do not decide council requirements or guarantee an approval outcome.
Your suburb and address, what has happened, what the tree is on or over, whether anyone is in danger, whether a powerline is involved, and how a crew and truck can get in.
That is worth doing, and photos taken from a safe distance help. What your policy covers is between you and your insurer — we cannot advise on it.
A change in shape, angle or the ground at the base after a storm is worth treating seriously. Keep clear of the fall zone and describe what changed. Post-Storm Tree Inspection Sydney covers what to look at.
Tell us what you want done. Stump grinding and eligible green waste removal are separate services, so ask for them to be included in the quote.
Yes. We provide 24/7 emergency tree services Sydney-wide. You can see where we work on our Service Areas page.
Related reading
Signs You Need Tree Removal on Your Sydney Property
The non-urgent signs still worth acting on.
Storm Tree Preparation in Sydney
Dealing with the risky branches before the next storm.
Top Quality Tree Services
If it looks urgent, treat it as urgent
Tell us where the tree is and what has happened. We will use those details to discuss the physical tree work you need.
CALL 0412 482 430