After every big storm, the same species show up in the insurance photos. It’s not bad luck — different trees fail in predictable ways, and most give visible warnings months or years in advance.
Here’s what 25 years of Sunshine Coast storm clean-ups have taught us about the usual suspects — and how to read your own trees like an arborist.
The repeat offenders
Coral trees — fast, soft and brittle; limbs tear out without warning. African tulip trees — weak wood, heavy flowers, storm-fail regulars. Camphor laurels — massive canopies with included bark unions that split. Cocos palms — fruit bats, falling fronds and mess. Mature gums — magnificent, but watch for dead tops and overextended limbs over targets.
The failure signs that matter
Cracks — especially V-shaped unions with bark rolled inside. Fungal brackets at the base or on roots. Cavities at the trunk base. Sudden lean with soil heaving opposite. Dieback starting at the canopy tips. Any one of these near a house, car space or play area earns a professional look.
Retain or replace?
Not every risky-looking tree needs removal. Cabling, weight reduction and target management (moving the trampoline, redirecting parking) often buy decades. But when a high-failure species with structural defects stands over bedrooms, replacement with a strong, well-formed native is honest long-term thinking — and we’ll tell you which situation you’re in, straight up.
Your next step
Walk your property this weekend with fresh eyes: look up for dead wood and cracks, look down for fungus and heaved soil. Anything suspicious within falling distance of something you love — that’s your shortlist for a professional risk assessment.
Trees rarely fail ‘without warning’ — we just rarely look. Learn the signs, or borrow our eyes for free.
