Making A Storm-Damaged Tree Safe: An Illustrative Example

Illustrative exampleStorm damage make-safe

Illustrative image: Unsplash, free licence. This is not a photograph of the site described.

This is an illustrative example. It explains how a storm-damage call-out would be handled and recorded. It is not a completed client project; the site details are general.

The Situation

Overnight winds split a mature tree beside a staff car park. A large section hangs above parked vehicles.

The site manager finds it before staff arrive. The first priority is keeping people away; clearance can be planned once the immediate danger has been assessed.

What Happens First

• Keep people and vehicles away from the tree and away from anything it is resting on.
• Call 999 if anyone is in immediate danger. For a damaged electricity line or a power cut, call 105 and stay clear. If you smell gas, call 0800 111 999.
• Then call us with the site postcode, what is obstructed and what the tree is resting on. A photograph taken from a safe position helps.
• Do not try to cut the tree, move branches or retrieve vehicles from beneath it. Damaged timber can shift without warning.

How It Would Be Planned

The first attendance is make-safe: removing or securing the immediate risk, lowering the hanging section under control, and confirming what has to stay closed until it has been assessed. Whether the site reopens is a decision for the responsible site manager, informed by that assessment.

Follow-up clearance would be priced separately once the tree and access route could be assessed safely. The quote would set out any remaining dismantling, stump work, waste removal and reinstatement.

Consents And Records

Storm damage does not automatically authorise tree work. Tree Preservation Orders, conservation area rules, felling licences and wildlife duties may still apply, and any exemption must be checked for the circumstances.

The tree owner remains responsible for permissions. Record the danger and any urgent action taken, and contact the relevant authority as soon as practical. Do not assume permission for later clearance.

For the insurance file, keep dated notes and photographs showing:

• The damage before work, photographed only from a safe position
• What was done to make the tree safe and why
• What remains on site and any follow-up work needed

If the insurer or loss adjuster needs to inspect before clearance, arrange this where safe and practical.

Related Services And Guides

• Emergency tree work
• Commercial tree removal
• Guide: storm-damaged tree removal on commercial sites
• Guide: an approved tree preservation order application