Follow these steps:

1.) Secure the area to ensure it is free from pets, children and non-professional traffic. If the person has not been trained to deal with storm fallen trees, they should not be near the area!
2.) Document everything. Take plenty of photographs or video regardless of whether damage has occurred and especially in the event the tree fell from a neighbor's yard.  If you do not feel comfortable doing this yourself, allow an arborist or contractor to do it for you.
3.) If damage has occurred, contact your homeowner's insurance and get information on how to proceed and what necessary information will need to be gathered from the arborist you'll contact in the next step. Ask what your deductible is and whether there are any limits on cost to any part of a tree's removal so that you are not responsible for a larger bill than is absolutely necessary.

4.) Contact a licensed and insured arborist like Crown Down Tree Service LLC who is experienced and equipped to deal with the storm damage you've encountered. Remember: NOT ALL LANDSCAPERS AND TREE SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE ARBORISTS!

5.) While speaking with the arborist, give them as much information as you can about the tree(s) such as:

• Is any part of the tree on your home or other structure?

• Is any part of the tree(s) within 20 feet of utility wires?

• Does the tree in question belong to you or a neighbor and does the tree cross over property lines?

• Is the downed tree stranding you in your home or otherwise making your home unsafe to reside in?

• Concerns about payment and whether you intend to, or are unsure if you should initiate a claim. 

Providing this information will help the arborist triage what is likely a large influx of work requests. If a tree in your yard has experienced storm damage, it's very likely others have as well! This will also help you and the arborist decide on the best method of payment for the services in the event the loss is non-insurable. 

6.) Allow for enough time for your arborist to come and assess the damage. Doing so will likely help determine if it is worth initiating a claim with homeowner's insurance if your deductible is exceedingly high. Your arborist may even uncover additional damage that may not have been immediately caught during earlier steps allowing you to make a claim that can save you money!

 7.) Schedule with the arborist depending on how imminent a threat the fallen tree is. If possible or available, submit the estimate for services to your claims adjuster for approval before work is completed, however, if the tree is an immediate danger, DON'T WAIT TO CONDUCT WORK! Make your space safe and prevent further damage before following up with insurance to handle the claim. 

8.) Pay for the services rendered. Crown Down provides a range of payment methods (credit, debit, ACH, checks, cash, Paypal as well as financing through Wisetack and Paypal Credit) and payment schedules that will allow time for your insurance to reimburse you (often before payment is ever due!). 

In some cases, yes! It depends largely on how the tree has failed, the tree's age, condition of the tree before it failed and how large the tree is. If the preference is to keep the tree, and we see no immediate threats to safety to property, options do exist for some smaller trees to be recovered. However, some damage is too catastrophic for the tree to be reasonably expected to recover from making for an easy decision to have the tree removed.
Preservation is very often possible though and our first choice on many smaller trees that can be easily picked up and properly staked or guyed until they can take root again.
The image above shows a limb with shear cracks caused by high winds that could be braced as an alternative to pruning.

Typically, no. Storm-fallen trees are extremely dangerous and their removal is best left to professionals with a solid understanding of how the tree may shift when cut. In many cases, cutting branches that could have been used to stabilize the tree while other parts of the tree were removed may make the job more difficult or more costly to the client because the tree must be manually stabilized. It is strongly advised in all cases that the you adhere to the arborist recommendations for what should be done and do not allow children, pets or foot traffic inside of an area at least 1.5x the height of the tree.

In general, if the tree was healthy and well-maintained, your neighbor is not liable for the damage. However, if the tree was dead, diseased, or otherwise in poor condition, your neighbor may be responsible for the damage.
In cases where there is no damage and there is an amicable relationship with the neighbor, a conversation will usually go much further than threats or letters. If however, you are unable to reach a resolution, you may need to take legal action. Contact an attorney who specializes in property law to help navigate the legal process but remember, it may very well be more expensive than if the tree were simply paid to be removed from your side of the property line to begin with! You are always at liberty to remove all parts of a downed tree tree up to your property line.

Tree removal is usually covered under most home owner's insurance policies only in the event of actual damage and under certain limited covered perils such as if the tree has caused damage to your property, is blocking access to your driveway or hindering handicap access (like a ramp to your front door) of any kind. Your policy documents will have the most accurate information about what is covered. Even policies under the same carrier may vary!

Some important tips:

-Filing a claim may not always be necessary! If the damage is minor and you can be sure the tree is no longer a threat to property and safety, you should weigh the cost of the services necessary to fix damage to the property against the cost of your insurance's deductible. If you are unsure whether this will be the case, inquire with your agent or consult your policy documents to find out what your deductible is before talking to our arborist. A section of fence and the removal of a single branch may be cheaper to pay for yourself!

-Your arborist will be able to assist with what is likely to be covered in odd situations (eg. If only a portion of the tree has caused the damage, only that portion of the tree may be covered) but it is important to remember that what is covered  is ultimately up to your insurance company. Some insurance companies will require that an adjuster visit the site to determine the extent of the damage or loss.

-In almost all cases of insurance-related tree work, there is a limit to the hauling and disposal of debris. This amount is usually around $500 but can vary from policy to policy. Any amount in excess of this limit is the client's responsibility!