Emergency Tree Work For Commercial Sites In The North East

If a tree has failed, is leaning, or is resting on a structure, the first job is making the area safe. Call and describe what is at risk and what is blocked, and we will tell you what we can do and when we can attend. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999 first.

What to do in the first few minutes

Do not try to cut or clear a storm-damaged tree yourself. Damaged timber can be under tension or compression and move unpredictably when cut. Clearing up can be dangerous even after the wind has dropped.

• Keep people away from the tree and away from anything it is resting on or could reach
• Do not go under a leaning tree, a hung-up limb, or a tree touching a line
• People in immediate danger: 999
• Damaged electricity line or a power cut: 105, and stay clear of the line and anything touching it
• Smell of gas or a suspected gas escape: 0800 111 999
• Occupied buildings, blocked fire routes or damaged services: make those calls first, then call us

What to tell us when you call

Give us the postcode and the tree's exact location on site. Tell us whether it is blocking a road, delivery route, fire route, car park, footpath or building, and whether it is resting on a structure or service. Let us know if it has moved or is still moving, who owns the land and who can give us access.

Send a photograph only if you can take it from a safe position. Stay out from under the tree and well clear of anything it is leaning on.

Make-safe and clearance are two different jobs

The first visit focuses on the immediate risk: making safe what we can, securing unstable material where possible and agreeing the next steps. Full clearance, stump work and repairs to the ground are usually planned separately. A tree that is still moving, resting on a building or blocking machinery access needs assessing before the remaining work can be priced.

The responsible site manager decides when the site can reopen, taking advice from whoever assessed the tree. It is not a decision for the tree contractor alone.

Consents and records during a storm response

Storm damage does not automatically give permission to clear trees. The tree owner remains responsible for Tree Preservation Order consent, conservation area notice, felling licences and wildlife duties. Urgent-work exemptions are narrow and do not cover wider clearance. Confirm the position with the local planning authority or Forestry Commission as soon as practical, and limit any exempt work to what is necessary to remove the immediate risk.

Bats, their roosts and nesting birds remain protected even when a tree is dangerous. Wildlife checks should be made before work wherever they can be carried out safely and promptly.

Records an insurer will ask for

Where it is safe and practical, ask whether the insurer or loss adjuster wants to inspect before clearance. Do not delay action that protects people while waiting for a formality.

• The date and time of the incident and who reported it
• Photographs of the tree as found, taken from a safe position
• What was found, what was done, and why it was done at that point
• Anything that was made safe rather than removed, and the follow-up needed
• Waste transfer records for anything that left site
• Liaison with the insurer or loss adjuster, and whether they needed to see the tree before work

Planning the follow-up work

Once the site is stable, we can price the remaining work: dismantling or removing the failed tree, dealing with the stump and making good the ground. Nearby trees may also need checking for less obvious damage, such as cracked forks or lifted root plates. The initial records help define that follow-up work; the guides below explain what to include in the brief.

What is priced separately

The items below are not included unless stated in your quote. If you need them, we will agree the cost before starting.

• Emergency services attendance and making safe of utilities, which is handled by the network operator
• Repairs to buildings, services, vehicles and hardstanding
• Site security and out of hours guarding
• Consent applications and retrospective approvals

Getting a quote

• Site address and postcode, and where the tree is on the site
• What is obstructed, and what the tree is resting on
• Photographs taken from a safe position
• Who can give access, and what the site's own rules require on arrival
• Whether the insurer or loss adjuster has been told, and what they need

Where we work

Regular work is across County Durham, North Yorkshire and the North East. We also consider larger contracts further afield, depending on the schedule, access and length of the job. Send the site details and we will confirm whether we can cover it and arrange visits.

Example of this work

• Storm damage make-safe in Darlington

Related services and guides

• Commercial tree removal
• Site clearance and stump grinding
• Guide: storm-damaged tree removal on commercial sites
• Guide: comparing commercial tree removal quotes

Talk to us about your site

Call 07423 269635 and describe what is at risk and what is blocked. We will tell you what we can do and when we can attend. This is not an emergency services number.