BAL Clearing & Bushfire Vegetation Management
Habitat Arboriculture provides professional tree and vegetation management to help property owners meet bushfire hazard management requirements across Hobart and southern Tasmania.
We undertake tree pruning, tree removal, understory management and vegetation clearance associated with Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessments, Bushfire Hazard Management Plans and ongoing bushfire preparedness (Tasmania Fire Service - Bushfire Prone Areas).
If you already have a BAL assessment or Bushfire Hazard Management Plan, we can work from the vegetation-management requirements identified for your property and provide a practical quote for the arboricultural work required.
Need help carrying out BAL or bushfire vegetation works?
Contact Habitat Arboriculture for a free quote across Greater Hobart, Clarence, Kingborough and the Huon Valley.
What Is BAL Clearing?
Bushfire Attack Level, commonly referred to as BAL, describes the potential level of bushfire exposure affecting a building or proposed development.
For properties in bushfire-prone areas, vegetation surrounding a building may need to be managed to provide appropriate separation from bushfire hazards and maintain a suitable hazard management area.
The required work will vary between properties and may include selective tree pruning, tree removal, management of understory vegetation and reduction of vegetation close to buildings.
Habitat Arboriculture specialises in carrying out these physical tree and vegetation works.
Working From Your BAL Assessment or Bushfire Hazard Management Plan
If your property has been assessed by a Bushfire Hazard Practitioner, your report or Bushfire Hazard Management Plan may identify vegetation that needs to be modified or managed.
This may include:
Tree removal where identified as necessary
Selective canopy pruning
Removal of low or overhanging branches
Separation between tree canopies where required
Understory and ladder-fuel management
Removal of dead vegetation
Management of vegetation immediately surrounding buildings
Firebreak and access vegetation maintenance
Ongoing maintenance of established hazard management areas
Where possible, we aim to achieve the required bushfire outcome while retaining suitable trees and avoiding unnecessary vegetation removal.
Tree Pruning for Bushfire Management
Not every tree within a bushfire management area necessarily needs to be removed.
Selective pruning can sometimes achieve the required vegetation separation while allowing established trees to remain.
Depending on the site and the requirements of the relevant bushfire plan, pruning may involve managing branches close to buildings, removing lower limbs, reducing canopy connectivity or addressing dead and declining material.
As qualified arborists, we can consider both the bushfire-management objective and the long-term health and structure of retained trees.
Tree Removal for BAL and Bushfire Clearance
Where trees conflict with the required hazard management area or cannot reasonably be retained through pruning, removal may be required.
This can involve anything from straightforward tree felling to technically difficult removals close to houses, sheds, fences and other infrastructure.
Habitat Arboriculture specialises in large and difficult tree work, including sectional tree removal, climbing and controlled rigging where trees cannot simply be felled from ground level.
Bushfire Vegetation Management Across Southern Tasmania
Habitat Arboriculture provides BAL-related tree work and bushfire vegetation management throughout Greater Hobart and surrounding areas, including Clarence, Kingborough and the Huon Valley.
Request a BAL Clearing Quote
If you have received a BAL assessment, Bushfire Hazard Management Plan or vegetation-management requirements for your property, send us a copy along with a few photos of the site.
We can review the arboricultural work required and arrange an on-site inspection where necessary.
Request a free quote online or call Habitat Arboriculture to discuss your BAL clearing and bushfire vegetation-management requirements.