Why gum trees drop branches in summer (and what to do about yours)

Every summer we get the same call: a huge gum branch has come down on a still, hot day, no storm, no warning. That's summer limb drop, and eucalypts are famous for it.

The mechanism isn't fully understood, but the pattern is consistent: long horizontal limbs on mature gums, hot dry spells, and branches that looked perfectly healthy from the ground. The limb fails at the point of most stress, often out near the middle rather than at the trunk.

You can't prevent it entirely, but you can seriously reduce the risk. Weight reduction on long horizontal limbs, removing deadwood, and thinning dense sections of canopy all take load off the points that fail.

The other half is placement: if a big gum overhangs the trampoline, the driveway or the neighbour's shed, the same limb is a very different risk than one over an empty back corner.

Mature gums are also some of the best trees in the Redlands, and most of them don't need removing. What they need is an honest look every couple of years by someone who climbs them for a living.

If you've got a big eucalypt over anything you care about, get it assessed before the next heatwave. It's a quick visit and it's free with any quote.