A tree is down, or about to be - here is the order to do things in

What is emergency tree removal?

Emergency tree removal is unscheduled, after-hours work on a tree that has already failed or is actively failing. The test is not how bad it looks - it is whether something is under load right now: a trunk resting on a roof, a hung-up limb suspended over a walkway, a root plate lifting out of the ground. If the tree is contacting or near a power line, the first call is your utility, not a tree company. Nobody else is permitted to work an energised conductor.

Signs you need emergency tree removal

• A trunk or major limb is resting on a roof, a wall, a vehicle or a fence and has not settled
• A limb has broken but is hung up in the canopy above a path, a drive or a play area - this is the classic delayed-failure scenario
• The root plate is lifting: soil is heaving, cracking or domed on the opposite side from the lean
• A fresh split has opened at a fork or along the trunk, with pale exposed wood showing that it happened in this weather event
• The tree has moved measurably since the storm - a lean that is visibly worse than it was yesterday
• A tree or limb is blocking the only vehicle access to the property, or an exit door

Seeing something not on this list? Browse tree service problems by symptom →

How emergency tree removal actually works

1. 1

   Get people away from the load path, then call the utility if lines are involved

   Move everyone out of the rooms beneath a leaning or resting tree and out of the fall arc outside. If any part of the tree is touching, resting on, or has brought down a wire, treat every wire as live and call the utility emergency line first.

   Watch forAnyone - you, a neighbour, or a tree crew - trying to clear a limb off a wire. Utilities de-energise and clear their own conductors, and a legitimate tree company will refuse the work until they have. A crew that agrees to do it anyway is telling you something about how they operate generally.

2. 2

   Call your insurer before you authorise anything you can wait on

   Photograph the tree, the point of contact and any interior damage before anything moves. Most policies expect you to prevent further damage, but they also expect to be told promptly.

   Watch forThe gap between emergency stabilisation, which is usually authorised, and full removal and cleanup, which may not be. What is covered varies by policy and by state, and whether the tree was dead beforehand often changes the answer. Ask your own adjuster - do not let a contractor tell you what your policy says.

3. 3

   A crew stabilises before it removes

   The first pass is about taking load off: securing or lowering the hung-up limb, supporting or rigging the trunk before cutting, and relieving pressure so nothing shifts unpredictably when the first cut is made.

   Watch forCutting into a loaded trunk without rigging it first. Wood under tension moves violently when released, and this is where most catastrophic tree-work accidents happen - including damage that was not there before the crew arrived.

4. 4

   Make it safe tonight, finish it properly later

   A good emergency response usually splits into two visits: make the property safe and passable now, then come back in daylight to do the removal, the grinding and the cleanup at normal rates.

   Watch forA contract for the entire job signed at 11pm at emergency pricing. Authorise the make-safe work now and price the rest in the morning.

5. 5

   Site make-safe, debris plan and follow-up hazards

   After the emergency wood is down, the crew leaves access routes passable, flags remaining hung-up wood or compromised neighbours, and documents what still needs a non-emergency return visit.

   Watch forA "cleared" driveway with a widow-maker still hung in the canopy. Emergency work is not finished until residual hazards are either gone or clearly scheduled.

What does emergency tree removal cost?

After-hours emergency tree work is typically quoted at a premium over scheduled removal, and jobs involving a structure or a crane commonly run into the thousands. Authorise the make-safe portion now and price the full removal in daylight - that split usually saves more than any negotiation will.

See the full emergency tree removal cost guide - by material, size and region →

If the number is the problem, here are the ways people pay for it →