After a storm, separate the immediate danger from the work that can be planned later. First keep people away from unstable trees and damaged services. A competent assessment then establishes whether a tree can be retained, needs remedial work or must be removed. An emergency attendance is not automatically a quote for full clearance or permission to reopen the site.

This guide is for site, facilities and property managers dealing with a storm-damaged tree on an occupied site. It covers what make-safe means, what to do about utilities, the permissions that still apply during a storm response, the records an insurer or loss adjuster will ask for, and how to hand the site back properly.

Make-safe and clearance are not the same job

Make-safe work removes or reduces an immediate danger. That can mean taking down a hanging limb, cutting back a split stem, or isolating an area so nobody goes near it. Make-safe does not mean the tree has gone.

Where removal is necessary, final clearance may include dismantling the remaining tree, removing timber and branches, agreed stump work and reinstatement. A tree that can safely be retained may need a different follow-up specification.

Agree what the first attendance covers and how any additional work will be authorised. Conditions may prevent a firm clearance price until the hazards and access have been assessed. Consent, wildlife and waste duties apply during the initial response too; urgency is not a reason to defer them. Where a specific emergency exception is relied on, establish and record why it applies.

What makes a storm-damaged tree dangerous

Storm damage is unstable damage. Limbs split under load can release suddenly, and a tree that looks upright can be held up by the tree beside it.

Two trade terms are worth knowing. A hung-up tree is one caught in another tree and not resting on the ground. A root plate is the shallow mass of roots and soil that lifts when a tree is windthrown.

Treat any of the following as a reason to keep people and vehicles clear and to call a competent tree contractor or your appointed arboriculturist to assess it:

  • A tree leaning further than it did before the storm, or one that has moved between checks.
  • Heaved soil or fresh cracks in the ground on one side of the trunk, which can show a root plate lifting.
  • Split trunks, cracking, or a branch held on by a strip of bark or wood.
  • A tree resting on a building, wall, fence, vehicle or cable.
  • Roots exposed by flood water or ground movement.

The assessment belongs with an appointed arboriculturist or an experienced tree contractor. Nobody should be cutting up a storm-damaged tree as a DIY job.

Utilities: who to call, and in what order

If a tree or limb is touching or close to an overhead line, treat the line as live and keep everyone clear. The network operator's national power cut number is 105, and it is the route to report a supply fault or damaged equipment. Nobody should attempt to remove a branch in contact with a conductor; that work goes to the network operator.

If there is a smell of gas, the National Gas emergency number is 0800 111 999. Water leaks and sewer damage go to the water company. A tree blocking or overhanging a public road or footpath goes to the local highway authority. If the tree has come down on railway infrastructure, that is Network Rail's job. Where someone is injured or trapped, or there is a fire, 999 comes first and the tree work waits.

On a site with a private supply, a substation or a standby generator, the isolation procedure is yours to confirm. Nothing should start until the isolation is agreed and the person responsible confirms in writing that it is in place.

Permissions still apply during a storm response

Storm conditions create urgency. They do not create a blanket exemption, and the rules you are working within still apply. Keep these in mind:

  • Dead trees under a Tree Preservation Order. Unless the work is urgently necessary because there is an immediate risk of serious harm, the local planning authority needs five working days' written notice before work on a dead tree. The authority's consent is not required for that work.
  • Trees in a conservation area. GOV.UK advises five days' notice for cutting down a dead tree, except where urgently necessary because of an immediate risk of serious harm. Otherwise the usual conservation-area notice procedure may apply. Confirm the route with the local planning authority.
  • Immediate risk of serious harm. Work is allowed to the extent needed to remove the risk, but written notice has to reach the authority as soon as practicable afterwards. If the danger is not immediate, the exception does not apply and the normal consent route is the correct one.
  • Replacement duty. Where a protected tree that is not covered by a woodland classification is cut down because of an immediate risk of serious harm, the landowner has a duty to plant a replacement tree of an appropriate size and species.
  • Felling licence. Felling growing trees normally needs a licence unless an exemption applies, and the exemptions include work needed to prevent danger. Keep the photographs, assessment notes and dates that show why the work was necessary.
  • Wildlife. Bats and nesting birds stay protected whatever the emergency. Damaged or hollow trees are exactly the features bats use for roosts. If bats are found, stop, keep the area clear and take advice from a licensed ecologist.

Record who notified whom, and when. A short note in the job file saves a difficult conversation months later.

Records an insurer or loss adjuster will ask for

Policy terms vary, and your broker or insurer is the right source on what your cover says. What you control is the evidence. Build the file while the job is happening:

  • Before work. Dated photographs and video of the damage from safe positions, showing what the tree is resting on and what it could reach.
  • Incident details. When the damage happened, who inspected the tree and when, and what was closed as a result.
  • Authority to proceed. Who authorised the make-safe work, the agreed scope, and the risk assessment and method statement, often shortened to RAMS, for the visit.
  • During work. Dates and times on site, the plant and personnel used, and photographs as the work progressed.
  • Removal. Required waste transfer records for waste taken away, with carrier and destination details.
  • After. A completion note describing what was made safe, what remains on site, and any further work recommended.

If your policy requires prompt notification and steps to limit further loss, do both. Where safe and practicable, ask whether the insurer or loss adjuster needs to inspect before clearance. Do not delay necessary action to protect people while waiting for an insurance inspection. If a claim is questioned later, the photographs taken at the time are the record that answers it.

Handover, and the quote that follows

A site handed back after make-safe is not a site with no tree work left. The handover should record what changed: which exclusion zones stay, which barriers or signs remain, which hazards are still present, and what would trigger another call.

Keep restrictions in place until the responsible site manager, informed by the relevant specialists, confirms which areas can reopen. Then price only the follow-up work the assessment identifies: remedial pruning or removal as appropriate, agreed stump work, reinstatement, waste removal, and assessment of nearby trees where needed. Where the damaged tree came down near retained trees, the specification should say how those are protected while machinery is on site.

What to send when you ask for help

  • Site address, your name and role, and a contact number that will be answered during the incident.
  • What has happened, and what the tree is resting on.
  • Whether anyone is at risk, whether access is blocked, and whether a building, road or service is involved.
  • Any injuries, and whether the emergency services have been called.
  • Access details: gate widths, ground surface, where plant can stand, and any height or weight limits.
  • Site rules, inductions, and who will meet the team.
  • Whether the tree is protected or in a conservation area, and whether the insurer has been told.
  • Photographs taken from a safe position, with something in the frame for scale.
  • The more of this you can give in the first call, the more accurately the work can be scoped.

Next step

For tree-work assistance, call 07423 269635 and describe what is at risk, what is blocked and what has already been done. This is not an emergency-services number or a guarantee of immediate attendance; use the emergency and utility routes above where required. If there is no immediate danger, describe the site and damage in the contact form. Mention any photographs or reports so we can arrange how to receive them and discuss an inspection and quote. How we handle urgent work is set out on our emergency tree work page.