Austrim expert Grant loves a good tree
Grant Stanford loves trees.
Doyen of tree trimming and removal in the central west with his Austrim Tree Services, he appreciates the beauty, aesthetics, and ecological benefit of trees as much as any environmentalist.
“I’ve been doing this since I was about 18, say about 40 years and, in this business, like any other, you get what you pay for… though most of the guys around here are all fairly-good,” Grant said.
On the issue of whether to seek his advice before getting Council approval to remove a problematic tree, it’s rather a chicken-and-egg situation, he explained.
“They generally contact me first, then I have to inform them they need to get Council approval for any tree above a certain size to be removed,” Grant added.
He said though, that seeking his advice early, can often save a tree from having to be totally-removed altogether. “If it’s close to the house, such as this golden robinia, and it is starting to fall-over, we can remove some branches to help rebalance it. You don’t want to lose the tree, and this this will make it safe,” he added.
“The truth is, if you’ve got a valuable tree, one that you love, often, it doesn’t have to go. This is the way that I like being able to help people, I try and save them if I can,” he said.
For someone who has spent four decades in the tree removal game, Grant has a strong affection for one of nature’s greatest creations.
“I think trees are one of the most beautiful things you’ll ever see and, if I can save them for people, I will,” he added. “I’m a tree surgeon, a lot of my work is saving trees.”
He believes the days of home-owners clambering up a tree to lop branches themselves with a chainsaw on a rope, should be behind us.
“Don’t do it yourself, I’ve seen that many things go wrong where you don’t think it could go wrong with terrible results,” he said.
Since this year’s heavy snow fall in early June, Grant admits to being: “flat-out, absolutely,” with the other busy time of the year being at Christmas.
“That’s when people often have family coming and suddenly think ‘I better remove that tree that’s overhanging the house’.”
While Australians now have a far-greater appreciation of the beauty of the tree, particularly natives, they should remember, when planting a sapling, how large the final specimen is likely to grow.
“Definitely, people value trees more now and, while everyone loves gums, but they do drop branches. If you plant them, make sure they are a long-way away from your house,” Grant warned.
If you have a tree removed, he says, there is no need now to fear their impact on the environment. Trees removed are now generally turned into woodchips and recycled for garden beds and the like, meaning they are not lost to our ecosystem by going-up in smoke, as they did in the past.