Matcham
Tree removal in Matcham
Tree removal, pruning and stump grinding in Matcham, where the bush runs from ridges of open forest to deep rainforest gullies.
Tree work in Matcham
Ridge forest, rainforest gullies and hectare lots
Wambina Nature Reserve, at the head of the Erina Creek catchment, protects habitats from ridges of open forest to deep rainforest gullies. So one job here can be a tall eucalypt on an exposed ridge and the next a rainforest tree on a wet, steep slope, each with its own rigging and access.
Lots here run large. A planning proposal exhibited in 2020 covered lots that were to be rezoned from conservation zoning to E4 Environmental Living, so each could be split into two one hectare lots. On land that size the tree can be a long carry or a tracked machine away from the street, with a big load of green waste to chip or take away.
Much of the council's Coastal Open Space System of bushland reserves lies on ridges, the Ridgeway at Matcham among them, and that keeps the headwaters of local creeks well vegetated. Where a block backs onto that reserve, the trees past the fence are public land and the work stops at the boundary, while ridge-top trees on the private side are checked for wind exposure first.
Services in Matcham
Long carries, ridge trees and green waste
How it works
From the first message to a written quote
The council question is settled before any price, and nothing is booked until you have said yes to a quote in writing.
- 1
Tell us what the tree is doing
Where it stands, what it is close to and what you would like done about it.
- 2
A contractor comes to see it
A tree contractor who covers your suburb looks at the tree, the access and what is underneath it.
- 3
The council question is answered
Height, trunk size, distance from the house and the species decide whether a permit or an exemption applies.
- 4
You get it in writing
Scope, timber, stump and date on one page, and nothing is booked until you have said yes.
Matcham questions
Flying-foxes, a seed-pool tree and fire water
Does the flying-fox colony affect tree work?
It can. The parks service's plan of management for Wambina Nature Reserve records twelve animal species listed as vulnerable there, including a nursery and mating colony of the grey-headed flying-fox. Near the camp, work is timed and scoped so the colony is not disturbed, above all while young are being raised, and a tree it uses needs approval before anyone touches it.
Who looks after the registered cheese tree?
The council does. The old Gosford register of significant trees listed a council-owned cheese tree on Matcham Road as remnant gully vegetation and a valuable genetic seed pool. A job on the next block keeps its drop zone and machines away from it and leaves its roots uncut, and pruning on the roadside is left to the council.
Why were fire water tanks put in at Matcham?
There is no town water to fight fires with. In January 2019 the council said it had installed new water tanks at Matcham, after working with the RFS to pick out high risk locations. On a block like that, fuel near the house matters most, and whether the 10/50 code covers a tree near the house is checked on the RFS tool for that parcel.
