Last MONDAY night, a large tree along Taylors Arm Road fell across the road between Taylors Arm and Macksville in strong winds that whipped up suddenly through the Nambucca Valley.

The mature tree, one of several paulownia trees lining the roadway within a paddock, broke a fence and blocked the road overnight.

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It was still being removed by lunch-time Tuesday, although the road had been cleared by then.

The strong winds brought several other trees in the area down, including one across South Arm Road.

Usually, wet weather and softening soils are associated with larger trees falling but the weather has been warmer and drier than average in recent months in the area.

A horticulturist and arborist, Alex from Alex’s Vegetation in Port Macquarie said any number of factors could bring down a mature tree in dry weather.

“One reason could be that trees in the area have been bracing each other underground and when another tree falls, even quite a long way away, there is a weakness in the surrounding vegetation.

“It causes a flow-on effect.

“Sometimes there is a rot issue or with the dry weather, the tree may have lost its integrity. “

In the case of the Taylor’s Arm tree, one local explained that paulownia trees are a fast-growing imported variety which needs quite a lot of water.

“They were brought out here to be grown for timber quickly and can be harvested in as little as seven years,” said Brett of South Arm.

Alex says mulching around the base of the tree and use of a soluble fertiliser will aid older trees to maintain their condition.

If a tree needs professional attention, Alex says an arborist should be called with a focus on reducing and removing dead wood to return the tree to a healthy state.

By Ned COWIE