What to do when a storm damages a tree or brings one down
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What should you do first?
Get people clear, and check for wires. Penn State Extension's first rule after a storm is safety: absolutely avoid power lines, "even if the power is off", watch for broken limbs still hanging in trees, and stay away from trees that have failed and are now unbalanced. If a tree or branch is touching a utility line, it says to call the utility and wait for it to clear the line. PECO asks that a limb lying on a line, or likely to fall on one, be reported at 1-800-841-4141, and that neighbors be warned to stay away.
If a tree is blocking a street or has landed on a house or car in Philadelphia, the city's Parks & Recreation department says that is an emergency and to call 911.
Why not just cut it up yourself?
Because storm-damaged wood is unpredictable. Penn State says people are killed or severely injured every year trying to prune limbs or remove trees damaged by storms. The limbs are often unbalanced and under weight and force that an inexperienced person cannot see, and disturbing them can make them fall, which Penn State compares to a mouse trap ready to spring. The International Society of Arboriculture's advice for storm damage includes one step in particular: "Resist the urge to do it yourself."
What should you do before anything is moved?
Document it. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department says to contact your insurer as soon as possible, and to take pictures or videos of the damage before you clean up or make repairs. It says to make only the immediate repairs needed to prevent further damage, and not to make permanent repairs until your insurer approves them. Keep receipts for everything you spend. Who pays for what is set out in who pays when a tree falls.
How urgent is the removal?
Sometimes very, often less than it feels. A tree resting on a roof or blocking the only way out needs a crew quickly. But Penn State says that if a tree does not represent an immediate hazard, take time to find and hire a qualified arborist to assess it, and that a second opinion before removing a tree can be worthwhile.
Prices after a storm vary widely. The cost survey Angi says emergency removal, when demand is high after a storm, can cost up to $5,000, while Fixr puts the clearing of trees that have already fallen or been uprooted at $150 to $300.
If your town requires a permit to remove trees, check how it treats emergencies. Doylestown Borough, for example, allows a hazard tree to be removed without a permit when life or property is in immediate danger, but requires the owner to report the removal within 10 days, with documentation and photographs from a certified arborist.
How do you avoid storm chasers?
Expect them. The Federal Trade Commission says that after a weather emergency, unlicensed contractors and scammers may knock on the door offering to remove a fallen tree, often without a written contract and asking for full payment in advance. Penn State says it is common after storms for people to claim to be "tree specialists" with little training and no insurance. The Insurance Department warns that disasters draw dishonest solicitors and that out-of-state plates and unmarked vehicles are red flags.
Penn State suggests three questions for whoever arrives:
- Will you prune according to the ANSI A300 national standards?
- Are you an ISA Certified Arborist or a member of a professional society such as ISA?
- Can you give me a certificate of insurance?
The fuller list of tactics is in tree service scams to avoid.
Should a damaged tree be topped to make it safer?
No. Penn State says topping increases sharply after storms because people think a smaller tree is safer, but that topping, rounding over and heading back lead to internal decay and a weaker structure, and so to more storm damage later.
What damage is easy to miss?
Hangers and cracks. Penn State's advice to shade tree commissions says inspections after summer thunderstorms or winter ice help find broken "hangers" in live trees, which "could fall without warning weeks after a storm." The U.S. Forest Service says ice storms can crack large branches that stay on the tree and remain a hazard long after the ice has melted. Look up, as well as down, in the days after a storm. ISA's first step for storm damage is simply to assess it.
What happens to the wood?
On your own property, it is yours to deal with. PECO says its crews cut and remove trees and branches from its equipment to restore service, but that disposal of branches, logs and other storm debris is the customer's responsibility. Agree with your contractor whether wood will be chipped, hauled or left.
If wood is to leave the property, remember that the Department of Agriculture's spotted lanternfly quarantine regulates moving logs, stumps and other tree parts, and that it applies to residents as well as businesses.
How can you reduce damage next time?
Penn State's answer is to be proactive: have an ISA Certified Arborist evaluate the structure and condition of large trees, consider a risk assessment by an arborist with ISA's Tree Risk Assessment Qualification, and keep up routine structural pruning and deadwood removal. The Insurance Department adds that policies may deny claims for damage caused by negligence, such as neglecting dead or overhanging limbs. Businesses that serve your area are on the tree services directory page.
Sources
- Helping Trees Recover After Storms, Penn State Extension
- Our Crews Respond Quickly to Storm Damage, PECO
- Street tree frequently asked questions, City of Philadelphia, Parks & Recreation
- Natural Disaster Insurance Guide, Pennsylvania Insurance Department
- Hazard Trees, U.S. Forest Service
- Dealing with Tree Risk: Tips for Municipal Shade Tree Commissions, Penn State Extension
- Managing Hazards and Risk, International Society of Arboriculture (TreesAreGood.org)
- How To Prepare for a Weather Emergency While Avoiding Scams, Federal Trade Commission
- Chapter 25 Trees, Part 1: General Regulations, Borough of Doylestown
- How Much Does Tree Removal Cost?, Angi
- Tree Removal Cost, Fixr
- Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine and Permitting, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture