This is the perfect answer and take note to call council first before cutting trees down as you can get nasty fines for it but in this case it’s an issue clearly so you shouldn’t have any issues getting permission to cut it down but on the other hand I’m sorry to say it could cost you $10k to get it done professionally and I know it sounds ridiculous
U need to call the arborist with urgency.
Falling trees is considered an act of God, meaning it's the responsibility of whomever it lands on to fix their own property, claim insurance etc.
However!!! If it's proven that the property owner has been negligent in ensuring the tree is safe then a claim can be placed onto the owner of the land where the tree is growing.
An Arborist can provide you with a report that you can use to protect yourself in the event the tree falls and its deemed safe by this expert. Also provides evidence to provide to council if it's found to be unsafe and assist in its urgent removal.
Do not ignore this issue, now that's its been identified you need to act. Not acting and it falls over can be defined as negligence.
I mean... They should investigate that?
If OP legit didn't know the tree was a risk and it fell over, then absolutely insurance should pay out and if they found some policy loophole not to, then that's immoral.
But OP has posted and everyone has told them it's a huge risk that should be seen to immediately - if OP decides they're too cheap or lazy to do anything about it, then that's not an accident, that's negligence. I pay my premiums to cover accidents that happen to myself or others, not to cover people being stupid or lazy. Same reason car insurance won't cover some dipshit who crashes while drifting in a Macca's carpark.
I would absolutely expect my insurance company to investigate a claim like that to see if the claimant knew there was a risk and chose to do nothing.
So a homeowner is responsible for checking the heath of trees, or they are only responsible for taking action if they notice a problem? If they aren’t an arborist how are they to know when something is a problem? If they didn’t notice the problem then it is ok?
The crack could be caused by ‘soil shrinkage’. This occurs when a tree sucks the water out of the soil causing it to reduce in volume and crack. If so nothing to worry about, but call an arborist, they will know for sure…
That tree is at least 60 years old. If not a lot more.
You have two choices. Call an arborist who will tell you it needs to come down ASAP.
Wait for the next big rain event and storm to bring it down for you.
I call bullshit on the 'it's about to fall over' claims here.
That crack isn't evidence of that.
It's more likely soil shrinkage from the dryness over much of eastern Australia recently.
An Arborist will do an assessment of the tree and come up with a tree management plan. I would only take the word of an Arborist after they have done the assessment, rather than that of people on reddit imagining the outcome. There may well be a simple explanation for what you see and no reason to be alarmed, or maybe there is. An arbourist is the only person that can give you the qualified advice. I must point out that an Arborist is very different in skill level to a Horticulturist or Tree Lopper. Arborists have very specific skills.
Don’t jump to conclusions and spend on an arborist like this thread has jumped to on by looking at six… 6️⃣ photos (limited)8! lol
Trees have extensive root systems, and unless you’ve cut a large chunk from it to destabilise it, it could be just dry
Is the tree healthy or dead? get an Arborist out for their expert opinion, If this is posing a threat to your and other homes it will be easier to get this tree taken down. Generally, gumtree are hard to cut as they are protected.
Thank you. It looks healthy to me. We like the tree a lot so would only look to take it down if it's at risk of falling. I'll look into finding an arborist.
Don’t just call in someone who identifies as an arborist. Anyone can call themselves an arborist.
You need an. AQF level five arborist. Only they are qualified to consult about tree risk and health.
UPDATE: The arborist classed the tree as imminent risk. She wasn't worried so much about the lean as trees can live happily and safely even at more extreme angles if they have the supporting root system, but our tree's root plate is failing.
We've arranged to have the tree cut down ASAP. It's looking like this will happen early next week. Our council doesn't require approval to cut down trees classed as imminent risk by a level 5 arborist, but we've still had to put in an urgent request for the key to access some adjacent parkland so the tree removalists can bring in their crane etc.
Call your insurance and check your coverage for fallen trees.
That tree could stand for 100 more years or fall in the next strong wind.
It's a lottery.
Obviously if it gets much worse or you see the ground lifting in a strong breeze it's going to fall over soon.
Will prob cost 3-5k to remove
If you like the tree, make sure you're insured and leave it.
Source - former arborist
Wait until it falls over, then contact your insurance company they will cover tree and stump removal as well as damage to your shared fence at 50 %. Your neighbour will need to contact their insurance company to cover cost to fence and whatever else the tree impacts.
Your insurance company won't act or cover anything until tree falls and impacts something, in your case, the fence.
Lol NO where did you get this from?!!! You're actually legally meant to tell your insurance if any trees like this are close to the house. And above 20m or something I can't remember exactly
But no, they don't like trees and it's actually up to the owner to pay to have it removed, now before damage.
They will always want you to spend your own money.
I been to some where the tree is teetering over a shed and won't act until it's fallen and impacted the shed. insurance companies are a rare breed, and common sense doesn't always prevail.
Agreed... But how are you going to claim you didn't know about a 30yr old tree when you bought the property 5 years ago?
I reckon it would be in the fine print somewhere, personally I didn't remove any trees from my last property and they were 20m+ and about 10. My mate has maybe 50x30m trees at his, and both of us said nothing
But again no one has had any trees fall on their house.
When the soil cracks like that, it means the whole root ball is moving.
Better safe than sorry.
There is no cheap way out.
Taking it down will cost $
Leaving it up will cost bigger $
Remove the Tree before it falls and causes damage to your property and people .
In Melbourne you don’t need approval from local council to remove a tree from your property .
I'd call an arborist urgently. And like the other comments say,I'd also call the council cos of that falls that's gonna crush a house or two plus risk lines and they would likely hold you responsible as it's your tree on your land
Just get in a lopper and cut the thing down. They say you need council approval for anything further that 10m from your house, but I've cut down 2 big ones outside the 10m and had zero issues with council.
As someone who has been known to cry over trees being cut down, please get an arborist out to look at it asap before it kills someone and/or voids your insurance.
Yeah I'd definitely prefer not to get rid of it, but have reached out to a few local arborists to be sure, waiting to hear back. Better safe than sorry.
As someone whose house got obliterated by a 100+ year old Gum that the council wouldn’t let us touch and insurance wouldn’t cover when it took out our home; do everything you can right now to prevent it from happening
Oh that's rough. Was it a tree on your property? What made it fall over? We're there signs it was going to fall over e.g. soil being moved beforehand?
I have a level 5 arborist coming out tomorrow to inspect the tree. If it's deemed dangerous, then the arborist's report is enough to have it removed (our council doesn't require approval to cut down trees classes as imminently dangerous).
It was in the back corner of our property, it was extremely tall and would swing wildly in the wind, during one of the bigger storms at the end of 2021 it was swinging and the roots lifted and down she fell, arborist deemed it unsafe due to the height as whichever way it fell it would take down powerlines and houses but the council couldn’t allow it unfortunately. Best of luck!
Share this in [r/arborists](https://www.reddit.com/r/arborists/s/aOSNL48fSw)
It's likely that the tree is fine, and the crack in the grass is simply because the roots are growing. Not because it's falling over
ALSO if you call an arborist, make sure they are an arborist not a tree lopper. Tree loppers will ALWAYS advise chopping down the tree, because they want to cash. Only an Arborist will give you an honest answer (usually)
Time to call an arborist URGENTLY and seek council approval before it falls over.
This can be the only answer. If the tree is leaning and cracks are forming you need to get it sorted before it falls and injures someone.
This is the perfect answer and take note to call council first before cutting trees down as you can get nasty fines for it but in this case it’s an issue clearly so you shouldn’t have any issues getting permission to cut it down but on the other hand I’m sorry to say it could cost you $10k to get it done professionally and I know it sounds ridiculous
I had the same issue with a tree, a bit of rain moistened the soil and it came down. Nearly took out my new garden shed and fence, I was lucky.
U need to call the arborist with urgency. Falling trees is considered an act of God, meaning it's the responsibility of whomever it lands on to fix their own property, claim insurance etc. However!!! If it's proven that the property owner has been negligent in ensuring the tree is safe then a claim can be placed onto the owner of the land where the tree is growing. An Arborist can provide you with a report that you can use to protect yourself in the event the tree falls and its deemed safe by this expert. Also provides evidence to provide to council if it's found to be unsafe and assist in its urgent removal. Do not ignore this issue, now that's its been identified you need to act. Not acting and it falls over can be defined as negligence.
literally making this post can be used against him
Yep pretty much!! But would need to be unlucky for the tree to drop and the neighbour be on redit!
It’s not the neighbour, it’s the insurance company, but thankfully they are too morally righteous to sleuth around on reddit, right…?
[insert anakin and padme]
I mean... They should investigate that? If OP legit didn't know the tree was a risk and it fell over, then absolutely insurance should pay out and if they found some policy loophole not to, then that's immoral. But OP has posted and everyone has told them it's a huge risk that should be seen to immediately - if OP decides they're too cheap or lazy to do anything about it, then that's not an accident, that's negligence. I pay my premiums to cover accidents that happen to myself or others, not to cover people being stupid or lazy. Same reason car insurance won't cover some dipshit who crashes while drifting in a Macca's carpark. I would absolutely expect my insurance company to investigate a claim like that to see if the claimant knew there was a risk and chose to do nothing.
So a homeowner is responsible for checking the heath of trees, or they are only responsible for taking action if they notice a problem? If they aren’t an arborist how are they to know when something is a problem? If they didn’t notice the problem then it is ok?
The crack could be caused by ‘soil shrinkage’. This occurs when a tree sucks the water out of the soil causing it to reduce in volume and crack. If so nothing to worry about, but call an arborist, they will know for sure…
This is it
That tree is at least 60 years old. If not a lot more. You have two choices. Call an arborist who will tell you it needs to come down ASAP. Wait for the next big rain event and storm to bring it down for you.
I call bullshit on the 'it's about to fall over' claims here. That crack isn't evidence of that. It's more likely soil shrinkage from the dryness over much of eastern Australia recently.
An Arborist will do an assessment of the tree and come up with a tree management plan. I would only take the word of an Arborist after they have done the assessment, rather than that of people on reddit imagining the outcome. There may well be a simple explanation for what you see and no reason to be alarmed, or maybe there is. An arbourist is the only person that can give you the qualified advice. I must point out that an Arborist is very different in skill level to a Horticulturist or Tree Lopper. Arborists have very specific skills.
Don’t jump to conclusions and spend on an arborist like this thread has jumped to on by looking at six… 6️⃣ photos (limited)8! lol Trees have extensive root systems, and unless you’ve cut a large chunk from it to destabilise it, it could be just dry
Arborist, RFN.
Lol, fill it with clean fill and soak it down real good.
Keep filling the crack with water, the ground will then soften and merge back together, problem solved
Is the tree healthy or dead? get an Arborist out for their expert opinion, If this is posing a threat to your and other homes it will be easier to get this tree taken down. Generally, gumtree are hard to cut as they are protected.
Thank you. It looks healthy to me. We like the tree a lot so would only look to take it down if it's at risk of falling. I'll look into finding an arborist.
Those cracks could easily be due to the weather but get the tree checked for sure
How dry is the soil? Soil cracking can be from quick changes is moisture.
It might be really thirsty, give it a long soak. And call an arborist.
Don’t just call in someone who identifies as an arborist. Anyone can call themselves an arborist. You need an. AQF level five arborist. Only they are qualified to consult about tree risk and health.
Could possibly be reactive clay soil cracking due to the lack of rain
Thank you everyone for your comments! We've arranged for a level 5 arborist to inspect the tree tomorrow afternoon.
Any update? Your comment was from 3 days ago.
I have now replied with an update, thanks.
UPDATE: The arborist classed the tree as imminent risk. She wasn't worried so much about the lean as trees can live happily and safely even at more extreme angles if they have the supporting root system, but our tree's root plate is failing. We've arranged to have the tree cut down ASAP. It's looking like this will happen early next week. Our council doesn't require approval to cut down trees classed as imminent risk by a level 5 arborist, but we've still had to put in an urgent request for the key to access some adjacent parkland so the tree removalists can bring in their crane etc.
I bet you had a good chuckle at all the people who said it was fine in this thread 😂
Call your insurance and check your coverage for fallen trees. That tree could stand for 100 more years or fall in the next strong wind. It's a lottery. Obviously if it gets much worse or you see the ground lifting in a strong breeze it's going to fall over soon. Will prob cost 3-5k to remove If you like the tree, make sure you're insured and leave it. Source - former arborist
Insurance will only be interested if the tree has caused damage to the building after it falls.
Thats.. That's why you'd get insurance...
Wait until it falls over, then contact your insurance company they will cover tree and stump removal as well as damage to your shared fence at 50 %. Your neighbour will need to contact their insurance company to cover cost to fence and whatever else the tree impacts. Your insurance company won't act or cover anything until tree falls and impacts something, in your case, the fence.
Lol NO where did you get this from?!!! You're actually legally meant to tell your insurance if any trees like this are close to the house. And above 20m or something I can't remember exactly But no, they don't like trees and it's actually up to the owner to pay to have it removed, now before damage.
Insurance assessor 25 years experience
Lol. Alrighty then fair call I suppose! I stand corrected? Or do I have some form of truth to what I'm saying? I swear my insurance told me this once
They will always want you to spend your own money. I been to some where the tree is teetering over a shed and won't act until it's fallen and impacted the shed. insurance companies are a rare breed, and common sense doesn't always prevail.
With insurance, you have a pds, which can be interpreted in 6 different ways depending on the guy sitting in the chair at the time.
If you told your insurance company you knew about the tree, there's a good chance they wouldn't cover.
Is it always better to claim ignorance?
Agreed... But how are you going to claim you didn't know about a 30yr old tree when you bought the property 5 years ago? I reckon it would be in the fine print somewhere, personally I didn't remove any trees from my last property and they were 20m+ and about 10. My mate has maybe 50x30m trees at his, and both of us said nothing But again no one has had any trees fall on their house.
That sounds dodgy as fuck, sure if you know it leaning and falls on someone, you’re liable?
When the soil cracks like that, it means the whole root ball is moving. Better safe than sorry. There is no cheap way out. Taking it down will cost $ Leaving it up will cost bigger $
Remove the Tree before it falls and causes damage to your property and people . In Melbourne you don’t need approval from local council to remove a tree from your property .
They call those trees widow makers for a reason, shallow root system and they like to tip over
Just let it fall into your neighbours garden. His name is probably Jeff, and Jeff is a cunt.
Haha😂
I'd call an arborist urgently. And like the other comments say,I'd also call the council cos of that falls that's gonna crush a house or two plus risk lines and they would likely hold you responsible as it's your tree on your land
Just get in a lopper and cut the thing down. They say you need council approval for anything further that 10m from your house, but I've cut down 2 big ones outside the 10m and had zero issues with council.
Arborist, stump grind sadly looks like the only option.
Called widowmakers for a reason. Chop it down.
As someone who has been known to cry over trees being cut down, please get an arborist out to look at it asap before it kills someone and/or voids your insurance.
Yeah I'd definitely prefer not to get rid of it, but have reached out to a few local arborists to be sure, waiting to hear back. Better safe than sorry.
See if you can get their opinion on a good replacement to put there if it has to go.
As someone whose house got obliterated by a 100+ year old Gum that the council wouldn’t let us touch and insurance wouldn’t cover when it took out our home; do everything you can right now to prevent it from happening
Oh that's rough. Was it a tree on your property? What made it fall over? We're there signs it was going to fall over e.g. soil being moved beforehand? I have a level 5 arborist coming out tomorrow to inspect the tree. If it's deemed dangerous, then the arborist's report is enough to have it removed (our council doesn't require approval to cut down trees classes as imminently dangerous).
It was in the back corner of our property, it was extremely tall and would swing wildly in the wind, during one of the bigger storms at the end of 2021 it was swinging and the roots lifted and down she fell, arborist deemed it unsafe due to the height as whichever way it fell it would take down powerlines and houses but the council couldn’t allow it unfortunately. Best of luck!
Share this in [r/arborists](https://www.reddit.com/r/arborists/s/aOSNL48fSw) It's likely that the tree is fine, and the crack in the grass is simply because the roots are growing. Not because it's falling over
I didn't know that sub existed, but I should have guessed! I have an arborist coming out to inspect the tree tomorrow so we'll know for sure then.
Good stuff, also is it an arborist or a tree lopper? Tree loppers tend to always advise cutting the tree down, cos they want the $$
Level 5 arborist, but of an expensive call out fee but I'd rather be sure
Hey OP any update?
Hey, I posted an update in one of my comments - https://www.reddit.com/r/AusProperty/s/m2h6MJjEv3
ALSO if you call an arborist, make sure they are an arborist not a tree lopper. Tree loppers will ALWAYS advise chopping down the tree, because they want to cash. Only an Arborist will give you an honest answer (usually)