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"As Always they have done a marvelous job.. Jon and his crew were wonderful."

"Beautiful Trees provided a super service taming my shrubs and trees. I will call on them again in the future."

Emergency Tree Services When you Need Them

The need for emergency tree care can arise in many situations. Some of the most common reasons include weather events (wind, ice, snow, heavy rain etc.), collisions with equipment or vehicles, floods and excessive excavation around root systems. Once a tree is excessively damaged, whether it has started to fail or has failed and caused damage, it is important to reduce the risk of any further damage. During a site assessment, our ISA Certified Arborist will inspect and address any hazards that could pose a safety risk for the crew, public and property. There are many ways to reduce the risks of working on a tree that has lost its structural strength, some of which will be explained in the text below.

Removing a Damaged Tree

Trees that have been damaged but have been assessed as structurally sound can be climbed and the attending arborist can use ropes to secure damaged limbs/sections to safely remove them. If the subject tree has been excessively damaged or uprooted but is still standing, adjacent trees and rigging ropes can be utilized to support a climber if needed. Ideally in these circumstances, a bucket truck or off-road aerial lift would be the safest way to access the tree, when access is available.

Specialized Equipment

When equipment access is an issue or there are no other adjacent trees suitable to support a climber, a large crane truck may be required to remove the hazardous tree. When trees are severely damaged and have landed on buildings and structures, it is important not to cause further damage while removing the heavy weight of the main trunk and branches. A skilled team of Arborist and crane operator can remove the damaged tree carefully to minimize further damage.

Storm Damage

After a large storm comes through an area, you will often find trees with large broken limbs. There are times when the damage sustained by the tree is too great, and it is too susceptible to future problems. When a large tearing wound is made to a tree, the wound could have trouble healing over and can become a gateway to infections and infestations. The damaged tree becomes more and more unsafe to remove over time, it declines and becomes less stable.

Avoiding Future Emergency Tree Services

Having your trees inspected regularly by an ISA Certified Arborist can help to prevent future tree failure issues. Quite often, corrective measures can be taken to reduce the risk of a tree failing. Weak unions can be supported with safety cables and bracing. Heavy, weak sections/limbs can be retrenched (crown reduction) to reduce the stress on attachment locations. Trees that are prone to wind damage and blow over have thick, heavy canopies that present significant wind resistance, also known as the “sail effect”. By carefully removing selected limbs in the upper canopy, the sail effect can be reduced while leaving the tree looking natural. Where tree canopies have been opened up (clear cutting, loss of neighbouring trees, loss of understory trees in a woodlot) that were previously protected by other trees, newly exposed trees are more likely to fail. Reducing the sail effect can be a very successful practice in reducing risk and loss of trees being retained.

What to Do If You Have a Tree Failure

One of the most important steps to take after a tree failure is to secure the area around the failed tree. It is common for residents and neighbours to want to see the damaged tree and inspect the site. There can be many hazards around and above the area of the failed tree that are of risk. Install rope or flagging tape around the area to designate a do not cross barrier. Keep people and pets out of the drop zone of the hazardous tree in all directions that the tree could fall or shift. Once the area is secure, call Beautiful Trees Inc. to have your tree assessed at no charge. If the failed tree has damaged a building, structure, vehicle, or person, please call your insurance provider to arrange for an adjuster to visit the site. Take photos of the damaged tree and any related damage for future use (e.g. for your insurance provider). The company assigned to repair any property damage may ask for photos to better understand the extent of damage. A photo record can be a valuable piece of evidence when the memory of the event starts to fade.