| By :
Eva Judge
You assess your property as you start preparing your home for the summer storms that are sure to be rolling in. One of the many tasks you have to do is to deal with the various vegetation and trees that surround your home. This involves pruning and removal of any that are too close to the house that could be blown down by storm winds. Before you start your work, though, you need to be aware of Australian laws that protect a large number of endangered vegetation. If you have to remove the tree to protect your home and family, you will need to obtain a permit from the government in order to do so. Among the many preparations needed for a safe summer storm season is the checking of surrounding vegetation for potential danger. Australia has very strict legal regulations that protect a wide range of trees and various plants from being removed. If they must be taken out, a government permit is required to do so. Awareness of these regulations is necessary before homeowners can proceed with the pruning or removal of trees and vegetation on their properties. This helps them to stay within the requirements while protecting their home from damaging storms. What is Involved in the Regulations? As provided for by Australian law, protected trees and vegetation can only be trimmed or removed for purposes of maintaining them or if they present a hazard to people or property. When removal is required, it must be done within an established distance from the home. The tree must be within three metres of the property if sized at or below 4,000 square metres, or within three metres of the property if sized above 4,000 metres. If you need to remove a dead tree from your property, you will need a permit. The tree needs to have a diameter less than 20 centimetres and native animals for shelter cannot use it. For pruning of vegetation, you will need a permit and cannot take off more than 20 percent of the foliage in the period of a year. The look cannot be uneven. If the vegetation straddles with a neighbor's property, then you both have to sign a permit to do the work. Additionally, trees can be taken out if they present an imminent hazard of falling over, if the trunk is split or is leaning. This is essential to know when you are preparing for a storm. Storm Preparation - With the possibility of cyclones occurring during the summer storm season, knowing these regulations is a must. When strong storms roll in, strong winds can push trees, especially dead or leaning ones, over and onto a home. Loose branches from vegetation can also be thrown into a home, causing damage and bringing danger to the family within. Sometimes, you can't avoid this and damage may occur to your roof. In this case, you need to hire professionals such as the team at Metal Technology Roofing with experience in handling roofing repairs. They can put your roof back to new, and often will offer additional services, such as asbestos removal.
|