nomadic-arborist

After the Fire – What Happens to the Trees?

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 05:05:26 GMT

After a bushfire has been through an area, there's obviously a massive amount to deal with. Houses, fences, roads and infrastructure all become priorities pretty quickly.

But then there's the trees.

I've worked in a couple of fire-affected areas over my career, carrying out hazard tree work and bushfire clean-up, and one thing I've learnt is that a burnt tree isn't necessarily a dead tree, and a tree that's still standing isn't necessarily a safe one either.

There's a fair bit more to it than just looking at whether the leaves are green.

Australian Trees Are Pretty Bloody Tough

A lot of our native trees are incredibly well adapted to fire.

Anyone who's driven through a burnt area a few months after a fire has probably seen epicormic growth covering the trunks and branches of eucalyptus. Trees that looked completely cooked not long beforehand can suddenly be covered in new growth.

Others can regenerate from below ground through lignotubers or protected buds.

That's why I don't think the approach should automatically be:

"It's burnt. Cut it down."

Sometimes giving a tree a chance to respond can tell us a lot more than what we can see immediately after the fire.

That doesn't mean every burnt tree should stay either.

Alive Doesn't Always Mean Safe

This is probably the important distinction.

A tree can survive a bushfire and still have significant damage.

Fire can affect the trunk, major limbs, buttress roots and the root system around the tree. Existing hollows, cavities and defects can also be made worse.

Then you've got to consider where the tree actually is.

A damaged tree standing in the back corner of a paddock is a completely different risk to the same tree hanging over someone's house, driveway, road or work area.

That's where actually assessing the tree becomes important rather than making a decision based purely on how burnt it looks.

Sometimes the Best Recommendation Is to Wait

Not every tree needs an immediate yes-or-no decision.

There are obviously trees where the damage is significant enough that action needs to be taken straight away, particularly where there's an immediate risk to people or property.

But there are also plenty where monitoring and reassessment can be the better option.

Give the tree some time and you can start seeing how much canopy returns, whether sections of the crown decline, whether defects become more apparent and generally how the tree responds after the fire.

Sometimes the recommendation might be removal.

Sometimes it's pruning.

Sometimes it's restricting access around the tree for a period.

And sometimes it's simply:

Leave it alone and come back for another look later.

Dead Trees Aren't Always Useless Either

Something else worth considering after bushfire is habitat.

A dead or heavily damaged tree might not have much value from a traditional amenity point of view, but that doesn't necessarily mean it has no value at all.

Hollows, dead limbs and standing trunks can provide habitat for birds, bats, possums and plenty of other wildlife trying to recover in the same landscape.

Where it's appropriate and the risk can be managed, habitat pruning or retaining sections of a tree can sometimes be a much better outcome than simply dropping the whole thing.

Obviously that's not going to work everywhere, but it's another option worth having on the table.

It's About Prioritising What Actually Needs Attention

This becomes particularly important when you're dealing with more than a handful of trees.

If you've got a property, roadside or larger area containing dozens or even hundreds of fire-affected trees, treating every tree as equally urgent doesn't make much sense.

That's where tree surveys and risk assessments become useful.

Trees can be mapped, inspected and prioritised so that the trees requiring immediate attention are dealt with first, while others can be retained, monitored or reassessed later.

At the end of the day, post-bushfire tree assessment isn't about trying to save every tree.

And it isn't about cutting down everything that's been burnt either.

It's about working out what's damaged, what's dangerous, what's recoverable and what can reasonably be retained.

That's a much better starting point for helping a landscape recover after a fire.

Nomadic Arborist provides tree risk and condition assessments, tree surveys and post-bushfire tree assessments for private properties, councils, contractors and land managers.

If you've got fire-affected trees and aren't sure what needs immediate attention and what can be retained, get in touch and we can have a look.

The Travelling Tree Care Solution you Can Trust

Give me a call or fill out the form on the contact page, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!

Why I Started Nomadic Arborist

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 12:46:04 GMT

Most people see an arborist as the guy who turns up, cuts a tree down, and leaves.

That’s not what I see.

For me, trees have always been more than just work. They’re part of the landscape people live in around their homes, parks, streets, and the places families grow up in. And over the years, I started to notice something.

Too many decisions around trees were being made without real understanding.

The Gap I Kept Seeing

I’ve worked on the tools. I’ve climbed, removed, pruned, and spent long days on the ground and in the air dealing with what trees actually do, not what people think they do.

Later, moving into consulting and report writing, I saw the other side of the industry.

And that’s where things really stood out.

There was often a disconnect:

Reports written without practical experience behind them
Trees removed out of fear rather than evidence
Clients left confused, not educated

It wasn’t always wrong, but it wasn’t always right either.

And that didn’t sit well with me.

The Industry I Came Through

Another thing that shaped this path was the crews I worked in.

Like a lot of industries, arboriculture can be a bit of a revolving door.

People come and go, and not everyone sticks around long enough to really pass on what they know.

At times, guidance was hard to come by.

But every now and then, you’d come across someone, a bit of a hidden gem. Someone who was willing to take the time, explain things properly, and pass on their experience. Those moments stuck with me.

Because they made a difference.

They didn’t just teach skills, they built understanding.

And looking back, that’s something I want to carry forward.

I want to be someone who helps educate, not just clients, but other arborists coming through the industry. The ones who might not get that guidance otherwise.

Because the standard of the next generation matters.

And if I can play a small part in helping shape that whether it’s through conversations, mentoring, or just leading by example, then that’s something worth building into what I do.

Experience From Both Sides

I’ve spent years in the industry, from hands-on tree work to formal consulting and risk assessment.

That means when I look at a tree, I’m not just seeing it on paper.

I’m thinking:

How does this actually fail in the real world?
What does this defect look like under load?
Is this a genuine risk, or just perceived risk?

Because I’ve been there when trees come apart. I’ve seen what holds, and I’ve seen what doesn’t.

That experience shapes every assessment I do.

Why “Nomadic”?

The idea for Nomadic Arborist came from time spent working away from home across Victoria. Seeing different parts of the state, different landscapes, communities, and tree populations was always an eye-opener, and it became the core driver for what came next.

I didn’t want to be locked into one place.

My wife and I want to travel Australia with our kids, spend time outdoors, experience different communities, and build a life that isn’t tied to one postcode.

But I also didn’t want to step away from the work I care about.

So instead, I built a business that moves with us.

Nomadic Arborist is about bringing high-level arboricultural knowledge and experience to wherever it’s needed, whether that’s a coastal town, a regional community, or somewhere in between.

What I Actually Believe

Nomadic Arborist was built on a simple belief:

Trees deserve more than just removal.

That doesn’t mean every tree should be retained.

But it does mean every tree deserves:

Proper assessment
Clear reasoning
Decisions based on evidence, not assumption

Sometimes the right call is removal.

Other times, it’s not.

My job is to help people understand the difference while exploring and proposing alternative options where appropriate.

What You Can Expect From Me

If you work with me, you’re not just getting a report.

You’re getting:

Clear, practical explanations
Honest recommendations
Decisions grounded in real-world experience

No overcomplication. No guesswork.

Just straight answers about your trees.

Looking Ahead

Nomadic Arborist is still growing.

As we travel, I’ll be working with homeowners, councils, and local contractors across Australia. Building connections, sharing knowledge, and helping people make better decisions about the trees around them.

Because at the end of the day, good arboriculture isn’t just about trees.

It’s about people, safety, and the environments we live in.

If you’re unsure about a tree on your property, or just want a clearer understanding of what you’re looking at, feel free to reach out.

I’m always happy to help.

The Travelling Tree Care Solution you Can Trust

Give me a call or fill out the form on the contact page, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!