There have been several instances when falling trees have caused damage to life and property. Recently, in December a Melbourne nurse, seated at the backseat of a car was killed in a tragic accident when a tree fell on the car she was traveling in.
There was another passenger at the back who was fortunate to have survived with injuries. The accident had happened in Kings Way, South Melbourne.
What was surprising was there were no unprecedented weather conditions that could have led to the fall of the tree. Trees have a long life and like any other living organism, they also decay over time. This might cause them to become unstable and prone to falls. Melbourne has thousands of trees that are close to public places.
It is important to take note of their health and have them removed if required. The government should hire Melbourne arborists who can help inspect the trees and remove the ones that pose a threat to life and property.
State governments need to increase the budget for more tree inspections by arborists. The rise in incidents of trees falling in public places is a cause of concern for many. The state governments have to assume responsibility and rope in more Melbourne arborists to conduct inspections across the city. A roadmap should be laid down to form a task force consisting of city administrators and arborists.
Popular landmarks and busy roadways that have large trees near them should be mapped. Arborists should be hired to conduct inspections of trees in these areas. The state governments should increase the budget so that more arborists can be involved in the inspection of trees.
In the past few months, several instances have been reported where trees have lead to loss of life.
Last November three primary school girls had been rushed to a hospital when the branch of a tree fell on them in Parkdale. Several more instances of trees or branches falling on cars and causing severe injuries have been reported. In some cases, sadly it has also lead to loss of lives.
Some Melbourne arborists attribute this to the rising temperatures. They say that rising temperatures can cause them to release excessive waters. This can deprive them of the good nutrients, resulting in the branch to weaken or even fall. This can be avoided if the governments are proactive in carrying out periodic tree inspections to check the health of trees.
The safety of citizens at public spaces is of paramount importance. Unstable trees have now become a major cause of concern for city administrators and law enforcement agencies. Many churches, schools and even backyards have trees that measure up to 60 feet. Any of them falling could prove to be a catastrophe. Just like other organisms they also decay which makes it necessary to have them inspected.
It is the responsibility of the governments to ensure trees in public spaces are safe. Periodic inspections from arborists could help determine the health of trees in these spaces. The state government should also ask community centers, private companies and organizations to call certified arborists to inspect the trees in their neighborhood. This would help tremendously in assisting the government’s efforts of ensuring the safety of trees in public spaces.
It is no doubt that this is a problem that can affect anyone. Hence, it should not be viewed as a minor issue since you do not know when it might strike. The most important thing to do right now it is to push the governments to work towards reacting and offering a better response towards this problem.
As you push for the government support, you should remember that it can affect you. As a result, private companies, organizations, schools, churches, and community centers need to act for their own protection. As you wait for the government to bring in arborists to inspect trees around you, make sure that you are doing something on trees on your property. You are close and if you can hire an arborist to inspect such trees, you can be able to stop a disaster early enough.
Trees should be inspected every year for areas receiving moderate weather conditions. In cases where an area is experiencing extreme weather conditions then the time may reduce to between six and eight months. However, in some areas it can also take three years before inspection is done. In other scenarios, inspection may be required in cases where there have been serious storms, rains, winds or drought. Being able to consult certified arborists, will help the governments understand when inspection should be carried out to protect the citizens, reported by theage.com.au
The government has been slow in tackling the problem. There has not been a major increase in the budget for hiring more Melbourne arborists. It should adopt a proactive approach and take the necessary measures on an urgent basis. Since November alone, four trees in public areas have shredded their branches or fallen that has killed or injured several people.
Some believe that there is a lack of arborists in Melbourne. But this is not true. There are enough qualified arborists to inspect trees. The government only needs to increase the budget to hire more Melbourne arborists to conduct inspections. According to gotreequotes.com.au, hiring arborists from the private sector would be a lot cheaper, faster and more effective than expecting a handful of council arborists to do all the work. This will help in a big way to ensure the safety of citizens in public places. Arborists can check the trees and suggest ways to keep the trees healthy. They should be asked to remove the trees that have poor health and have the risk of falling. This will prevent injury to people and loss of life due to falling of trees.
