Spring Tree Maintenance in Brisbane: What to Do Before Summer

August and September are the best time to prepare your trees for Brisbane's storm season. Here's the practical checklist.

Why spring is the right time

Spring gives you the maintenance window before storm season arrives in October. Trees are coming out of the relatively dry winter period and beginning active growth, which means pruning wounds callus quickly. And you have 4–6 weeks before the storms start.

Priority 1: Remove deadwood

Deadwood removal is the most impactful single thing you can do before storm season. Dead branches fail at much lower wind speeds than live wood. A deadwooding treatment removes the hazard while preserving the tree entirely.

Priority 2: Structural pruning

If you've noticed co-dominant leaders, crossing branches, or branches that are too heavy relative to their attachment, spring is the time to deal with them. A qualified arborist can remove or reduce problematic branches before they become storm failures.

Priority 3: Remove genuinely hazardous trees

If there's a dead, dying, or structurally compromised tree near the house, remove it before storm season rather than as an emergency during it. Emergency rates apply for genuine callouts during severe weather.

What not to do

Don't lop the trees to make them "smaller for the storm." A heavily lopped tree produces dense, vigorous water shoots — weakly attached, fast-growing branches that are more of a storm hazard than the original canopy.