We received an urgent call that a branch had fallen onto a roof in North Caulfield during the storm on the afternoon of September 5, 2012. Upon arrival I found a large stem from a Eucalyptus nicholii (Peppermint Gum) approximately 14 metres long and 10 metres wide lying on the roof. Several branches punched holes right through the roof and into the laundry and lounge room areas of the house and numerous beams, rafters and tiles were also broken.
The reason for the failure was the co-dominant leader stem with included bark and excessively strong winds. The defective area of the stem (included bark) can be seen on the video as the dark area between the top of the split and the undamaged wood.
If an arborist had assessed the tree, the damage and potential hazard could have been reduced/prevented. Solution from this structural defect in the trunk, could have been installation of support cables and/or undertaking weight reduction pruning; further if the tree’s co-dominant stem union had been assessed as particularly poor and dangerous the tree may have required removal.