Uprooted trees are often one of the many impacts associated with heavy weather episodes during winter, with dedicated teams at the ready.

The City’s after-hours tree maintenance teams have responded to 30 callouts since the beginning of winter. In May, the after-hours standby teams responded to 11 incidents where trees fell over, causing damage to infrastructure or blocking roadways; 16 in June, and three thus far in July.

Thankfully, we’ve started to see a decline in emergency callouts during July, in spite of a series of cold fronts that have passed over the mother city in recent weeks.

The after-hours teams consist of horticultural staff whose normal tasks include routine maintenance of parks, verges and greenbelts at depots across the city. These teams are skilled in the use of heavy machinery required to remove big trees.

Staff work in extremely difficult weather conditions, at times during the night, on uneven terrain and at heights. They also run the risk of encountering snakes, spiders and bees.

‘Recently, the team responded to a call out in Gatesville where a tree had fallen on three informal housing structures endangering lives. The teams worked tirelessly in the early evening to clear tree branches and provide relief to families who would otherwise have struggled for shelter that evening in the rain and storm,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.

Years of experience and training, good supervision and protective clothing provided to each worker have all contributed to almost no injuries on duty, in spite of the challenges.

Among the areas with the highest number of tree-related incidents are Constantia, Bellville, Cape Town CBD, Bothasig and Gatesville. Most calls were of trees that were uprooted and fell on fences and boundary walls, fallen tree branches obstructing traffic on roads and trees on burst water pipes.

‘The first storms of the winter generally tend to coincide with a higher number of incidents. That’s because weak trees and branches fail to withstand heavy rainfall and wind, causing problems early on in the season. However, as daily tree maintenance is carried out and after-hour incidents are resolved, we experience a drop in the number of callouts. In addition, while there has been significant rainfall, the wind has not been such a massive factor, particularly in July.

‘That said, it is still possible that more trees or branches could be affected during a significant weather episode. We have a way to go before the end of winter, and so we encourage residents to keep a close eye on trees in their areas and to report any concerns to the City’s Recreation and Parks Department. Proactive maintenance is as important as ensuring that our teams are on hand during bad weather spells to react to incidents,’ added Councillor Badroodien.

Source: City Of Cape Town