You just walked outside after a storm and your yard doesn’t look right. Some trees are down. Some are still standing but something about them looks off. Here’s what you’re actually dealing with and what to do about it.
Don’t Go Out Until You Know It’s Safe
Before you walk the yard check for downed power lines near any trees that came down. You can’t always see them clearly from inside and they’re not always obviously dangerous. If you can see lines down anywhere near a tree stay inside and call the utility company first.
A tree that’s partially down or leaning against a structure isn’t stable just because it stopped moving. Wait until you’re sure the storm has fully passed and the area is clear before you get close to anything.
Walk Every Tree on Your Property Not Just the Obvious Ones
The trees that are clearly down are easy to spot. The ones that are still standing but took damage are the ones that catch people off guard later.
After a hurricane look at the base of every tree on your property. Is the ground around the roots heaved up or cracked? That means the root system shifted during the storm and the tree lost its anchor in the soil. It may look stable but it’s not. These trees can come down days after a storm when the ground is still saturated and the roots have nothing solid to hold onto.
Look at the trunk. Are there new cracks or splits that weren’t there before? Check where major limbs meet the trunk. Splits at those junctions are serious structural failures that don’t repair themselves.
Look up at the canopy. Are there broken limbs hanging that haven’t come down yet? Hanging limbs are called widow makers for a reason. A branch that’s cracked through but still attached to the tree can drop without warning, days or weeks after the storm, when it dries out and the break fully separates.
Trees That Look Fine Might Not Be
A tree that came through the storm with its canopy intact and no visible damage to the trunk can still have compromised roots. If the ground around the base of a tree looks disturbed, if there’s a slight lean that wasn’t there before or if the tree is moving differently in the wind than it used to, get someone out to look at it.
Root failure after a hurricane is one of the things that surprises people most. The tree looks completely normal and then a week later after more rain it goes over. Getting an assessment on any tree you’re unsure about after a major storm is worth doing before you assume everything is fine.
Hanging and Broken Limbs Need To Come Down Fast
Any limb that’s cracked, broken or hanging in the canopy needs to be removed as soon as you can get a crew out there. Don’t walk under it. Don’t park under it. Don’t let kids anywhere near it. A hanging limb after a storm is an active hazard that gets more dangerous as the wood dries out and the break weakens further.
This is one of the most urgent post-storm situations and it doesn’t require the whole tree to come down. Just the limb. But it needs to happen quickly.
What To Do With Trees That Came Down
Document everything before any cleanup starts. Photos and video of every tree that came down, what it hit, where it was rooted and the surrounding area. Do this before you call the insurance company and before you call a tree crew. The documentation matters for your claim.
Call your insurance company before you hire anyone to remove fallen trees. Some policies require pre-approval before covered work begins and skipping that step can create problems with your claim later.
When you do hire a crew, ask for proof of insurance before anyone starts work. After a major storm out of area crews show up looking for work and not all of them are licensed or insured. Hiring one of them can turn a bad situation into a worse one.
The Trees You’re Not Sure About
After a hurricane there’s usually at least one tree left standing that you’re not quite sure about. It looks okay but something feels off. Get someone out to look at it. A quick assessment by someone who knows what they’re looking for is a lot cheaper than dealing with a tree that comes down on its own two weeks after the storm.
If you’ve got storm damage to deal with or trees that need to be assessed after a hurricane, storm damage tree removal in Spring Hill starts with a free estimate from Spring Hill Tree Specialists.