Rochester Storm-Damaged Trees: What to Note Before You Call

After wind or ice damage, stay well clear of the tree, treat every wire as live, and record what you can see from a safe distance. Note where the damage sits, what the tree or limb is touching, and what it could fall on. Photos and a short written note let a tree company judge the situation on the first call. Do not climb, cut or pull on anything yourself.

Start With What Not to Do

A split trunk or a limb hung up in a crown can hold a lot of tension. Cutting one piece can release another in a direction you did not expect, and the person with the saw is the one standing closest. That is the reason to hold off on cleanup, even when the tree looks manageable.

Keep people and pets away from the area, and park vehicles elsewhere if you can do that without walking under the damage. A tree that looks settled can still shift later.

Avoid dragging branches off a roof, fence or car. Moving one piece can change how the rest is supported.

What to Photograph From a Safe Distance

Aim for a few wide shots and a few close ones, all taken from where you are not under the damaged tree. A zoom lens or your phone's zoom is better than a step closer.

• The whole tree, so the caller can see what has broken and what is still standing.
• The break point or the lean, if you can see it from where you are.
• Anything the tree or limb is resting on: a roof edge, fence, vehicle, shed, wire or neighbor's yard.
• The ground near the base, if you can see lifted soil or a tilted trunk from a distance.
• The route from the street to the tree, including gates, narrow side yards and anything stored along the way.

Add a short note beside the photos: when the damage happened, whether it has changed since, and which parts of the property are now blocked off. If an insurance claim might be involved, check your own policy terms and ask your insurer what documentation it wants. Keep the photos either way.

Wires Change the Whole Call

If a branch or trunk is on or near a service line or a pole wire, the first call is to your electric utility, the company that sends your bill. A tree company usually cannot treat wires the way it treats an ordinary branch, so do not assume anyone can start work until the line question is settled. If a wire is down, sparking or across a road or driveway, keep everyone back and call 911 as well.

Photograph the wire situation from far away and describe it plainly: wire on the ground, wire hanging, or a limb touching a line. Do not guess whether a wire is dead. A tree touching a wire can also energize the tree itself, so stay off the ground around it.

When you do speak to a tree company, tell them what the utility has said or done so far, so they are not working from your guess.

What to Say on the Call

The person answering can only judge what you can describe. A clear, short description is worth more than a long story. Have these ready:

• Your address and the part of the property the tree is in: front, back, side, or shared with a neighbor.
• What is damaged: a limb, a split, a leaning trunk, or a whole tree down.
• What it is touching or blocking: a roof, a wire, a driveway, a door, a fence.
• Whether anyone can safely get in or out of the house or garage.
• Whether a utility has been contacted and what happened.
• Whether the tree stands near a property line, since that can affect who needs to be involved.

If you are unsure whether a damaged tree is still a hazard once the wind or ice has passed, the site's page on how to tell if a tree is dangerous covers general warning signs to describe on the phone. It is not a substitute for someone looking at it in person.

Questions for a Rochester-Based Provider

New Heights Tree Services, the company behind this site, is based in Rochester, NY. For a Rochester address, you are not asking a company from another town to travel in. Its listed service areas also include Greece, Irondequoit, Webster, Brighton, Penfield, Canandaigua and Geneseo, among others. A list of places is a starting point, not a coverage guarantee, so name your town or neighborhood in your first message.

Then ask the questions that are specific to storm damage rather than a planned job:

• Do you take storm-damaged trees, or mainly scheduled work? Can you tell from photos whether it needs a visit first?
• If the tree is on a roof or a structure, who assesses that before anything is moved?
• Does your quote separate making the area safe from removing the whole tree?
• What happens to the wood and branches afterward, and is that part of the quote or separate?
• If wires are involved, what do you need the utility to have done before you start?
• What access do you need: a gate width, a driveway, a spot to set up?

Compare answers on those points before you compare anything else. The tree removal page describes the service this site is built around, and a plain question about storm work is worth asking directly instead of assuming.

While You Wait

Keep a simple log: the time of each call, who you spoke to, and what you were told. If conditions change before anyone arrives, such as a new crack, a shift in the lean or a limb that settles, take another photo and tell the company. It may change how urgent they treat the job.

Stay inside if the weather is still active, and keep the area around the tree closed off. If the tree is not touching anything and no one is at risk, waiting for a proper assessment is a reasonable choice.

When your photos and notes are ready, send them with your first message through the contact page, along with your address and which service-area town you are in.