Dear Choice Community,
I’m planning to remove a palm tree from my front yard and it’s quite close to my house. I’m getting quotes from tree removal companies and individuals and I’m asking for insurance certificates as well.
What else do I have to check?
Thanks
DDS
Depending on your locality sometimes one needs a council permit to remove trees or trees that are a certain size or larger. Companies should know about this and advise accordingly, but individuals only might.
As for the details of removing the tree and the potential issues, in the absence of personal expertise (for many things) when I get quotes I ask questions and compare the multiple answers, and if necessary ask more questions.
We had 6 very tall redneck palms removed at our previous residence and 5 tall foxtail palms removed at our current home.
There was no risk of damage to property as one worker would climb each tree using climbing spikes on their boots and a safety harness, with a very small chainsaw in a holster on his belt.
He proceeded to remove the fronds and then cut the palms into sections around 60 cm long which he would pickup and throw clear of the tree.
The only risk was to the worker cutting himself, especially when he left the chainsaw idling whilst moving down the tree after each cut.
It’s good to ask.
I’ve had several small and large tree jobs done at our property.
It would be prudent to ensure you also discuss the work directly with your local council. As suggested by @PhilT a reputable larger tree services/maintenance company should know the requirements, however their advice may not provide any legal protection for the landowner if it is incorrect.
In respect of compliance with the law, for the trees on my property the legal responsibility for the work stayed with the land owner (that’s me!). I’ve had more than one tree service provider misdirect me when quoting. It would be best to check that any related advice you receive from a contractor is correct. I’ve previously done so by email or letter with the local council. Sometimes different departments or staff in council can give different answers. You may alternately find sufficient advice on your council web pages if you are confident of interpreting the guidelines.
Many councils also have requirements concerning any work that may affect safe use of the footpath or verge, if your palm is nearby.
Check for fauna. Possums and other native fauna often use palms for refuge/nesting. native fauna is protected under State (and potentially Federal) legislation and interfering with such may be illegal without necessary approvals in place. In some cases, interference may not be possible until the critter has vacated the palm.
Palms also have surface roots which can be difficult to remove without earth moving equipment. They are also very difficult to stump grind due to their fibrous nature. Confirm, possibly in writing with the tree removalist the scope of work (e.g. only cut to ground, stump grinding, surface root removal, reinstate after works etc) to ensure there is no confusion during and post works.
Condition the palm tree area is left is also important as some tree removalists leave the area clean and tidy, while others may leave it as a mess.
I had a palm tree removed . Before anything could take place it had to be checked for native fauna . There were a family of pygmy ring tail possums dwelling in the tree . Everything had to be put on hold until they were trapped and relocated .
That is in Victoria . The rules may differ from state to state .
Unsure if this would apply to palms - but in the general sense of the topic, in some parts of the country it is very wise to check whether the tree is considered either ‘significant’ or ‘sacred’.
I’d consider an ‘anonymous’ call to the council to determine whether you live in an area where this might be a concern - anonymous because sometimes you don’t get the answer you want or even one that is workable, and not being on the record might leave more options open in the overall process. That said, if you do live in a location where trees can be considered either ‘significant’ or ‘sacred’, be careful and good luck 
My neighbour solved his tree problem (he hates trees and his yard front and back is just grass… not even a shrub to break the monotony). He killed the trees, slowly over a year or so. Then he had someone remove them because they were no longer safe. Two perfectly lovely eucalypts, gone.
It’s always a loss.
In urban settings there is a challenge in having the right trees for the environment. Eucalypts and other tall trees make beautiful statements.
Unfortunately many large trees are also forest lovers. When in the open they lack protection from severe weather. Even in forest situations they often drop large branches regularly (500kg up to several tonnes when green and wet).
Personal preferences aside, your may be lucky your neighbour is not into green coloured concrete.
It’s unfortunate they were not required by council to be replaced with other trees. Some councils will act, providing they are made aware of the circumstances. It’s typically an offence in our LGA to poison native trees.
This is true. OTOH I hve enough of a jungle to make up for it. I have a giant tuckeroo, as well as lilly pillies, golden cane palms, callistemon, grevillea and a stray apple tree, all on a small suburban block. Makes him crazy. Leaves blow from the tuckeroo, and from the eucalypt across the road, onto his lawn… I think I’m going to put another tuckeroo in the back where he managed to destroy my banksia, too.
Excuse me going off topic briefly, it might be worthwhile considering a broad leaf paper bark or two? They can grow spreading and fat or in tight spaces tall and thin. Ours blow and bend in the open like elastic whips. True they drop the occasional twig, and lots of papery bark. The bark makes good mulch, while the blossom is great for bringing in butterfly’s, bees and parrots.
Closer to topic on what to know when removing a tree.
It may also be worth considering what you could replace the tree with. Another tree or large shrub of a different variety perhaps? One that suits the location better.
In which instance what is done towards removal or grinding the stump and reconditioning that patch may also be important. Large stumps will when left also rot out below ground level and or attract termites. They eventually leave a large void which will collapse to leave a hollow. Acacias eg wattle/gum stumps, can last a decade or more. Soft wood stumps eg pine trees, can dissolve in a cloud of powdery dust within a few years.
Hi
I’d suggest that you also ask them what the excess is on their insurance. When I had a couple of large gum trees removed a large boulder from a retaining wall was dislodged in the process. I thought they’d get some heavy equipment in to remedy that under their insurance, but this wasn’t the case as they had a $5,000 excess. Fortunately, with about nine men and various levers and ropes they got the boulder back in place. However, I made a mental note to check insurance excess that applied to policies in future.
It’s a good question to ask.
The cost of insurance for a business due to the nature of the risks is many times more than us home owners pay. The risks of tree work are also more significant. Most business carry a high excess to minimise the cost of insurance. Any claims push the next premium up while years with no claims help to keep them lower.
You may not find much difference between similar contractors. The larger the turn over the larger their excess as they can afford to carry small claims out of their earnings. The big multinationals have strategies where for major events the excess can be in the tens of millions of dollars.
The smaller local established tree service business with proven track records (word of mouth first hand recommendations) are my pick. Having the appropriate insurance is simply a necessity. Pass/fail criteria.
Thanks for everyone’s advice and suggestions.
The reason that I’m removing the palm trees is because the fruit it produces block my gutter regularly.
Wouldn’t it be cheaper (& less stressful) to replace/alter your guttering so that the fruit doesn’t get into it in the first place? eg https://revolutionroofing.com.au/products/revguard/
Disclaimer: I have no financial interest (or any other kind) in the suggested product - it just seems logical to me…
I had a similar thought about the last two properties that we have owned. It is better to have trees than no trees.
There is a whole choice topic possible for gutter guards, roof and gutter designs and what is effective.
We use one solution on our low pitched garage roof that works with pine needles and fine leaves from jacaranda or poinciana trees. I still need to get on the roof and broom them off every couple of months! Not ideal. Some of the more robust systems come as a manufacturer installer package. There is no self install option. I balked at the approx $80-$100 per metre install cost. (Nearly one third of the cost of a kit garage?)
Palms in a neat house lawn are a high maintenance tree/plant for many popular varieties. The fronds are one issue and the fruit of many a night mare. You can prune or trim the flowers before they set fruit . It pays to plant only low growing varieties near a house if you do not like lots of extra yard work?
P.S.
When you consider the various gutter guard options, many may keep the leaves etc out of the gutter trough. The leaves etc however do tend to build up on the top of the guards. As the leaves twiggs etc decay they tend here to fall through into the gutter as a soft mulch. Our fashion for guttering that conceals the drop off of the roof sheeting ensures the guard systems do not self clean. It’s just easier to do the leaf cleaning.
When you’re arborist has removed all the fronds, make sure he keeps the crown in one piece so the heart can be removed. The raw heart is delicious with a crunchy texture. An expensive ingredient used in some high class restaurants (eg. heart of palm salad) you may get a nice lunch in return. When we removed some coconuts a couple of years ago we had a real bonus with the hearts. Not sure about yours, but most mature palms produce a valuable heart.
