Wind, wet snow and ice take down trees across Lake County every year. Here's what to check on your property now, which problems can't wait, and what to do if one comes down anyway.
Between wind, heavy wet snow and ice, Northeast Ohio is hard on trees. Most of the storm calls we get involve a tree that was already weak: a split trunk, a dead limb, a lean that had been getting worse. The best time to deal with those is before the weather turns. This is what to look at on your own property in Painesville, Lake County or anywhere nearby.
Start with what’s over the house
Walk the property and look up. The trees and limbs that matter most are the ones over your roof, garage, driveway and any place people park or walk. A tree in the far corner of the yard can wait; a dead limb over the bedroom can’t. If you’re unsure about a tree over a structure, that’s exactly the kind of job our crane service is built for, because each section is lifted away instead of dropped.
Five things to check
- Dead or hanging limbs: brittle, leafless branches in a tree that should be in leaf, or a broken limb caught in the canopy.
- Cracks and splits: a split in the trunk or at a fork, or bark peeling away in strips. See the signs a tree needs to come down.
- A new lean: a tree that’s tilting more than it used to, or soil heaving up at the base.
- Decay at the base: mushrooms, soft or crumbling wood, or a hollow trunk.
- Heavy, overextended limbs: long branches carrying a lot of weight, especially over a structure.
What can be fixed, and what can’t
A healthy tree with some weak or heavy limbs usually just needs trimming: weight reduction on the long limbs and removal of the dead and broken ones, so it handles wind and snow load better. A tree with a structural problem, like a split or hollow trunk, a lean that’s worsening or serious decay, isn’t fixed by trimming and is safer taken down. Our guide to trimming versus removal goes through how we decide.
If a tree comes down anyway
Stay away from the tree and anything it’s touching, and treat any wire as live. Call 911 for a fire or injury and your utility for downed lines, then call us. We run 24/7 emergency service, and this guide covers what to do first, including photos for your insurance. Tell us what you’re looking at when you call and we’ll say straight away whether we can get to it and what it takes to make the property safe.
Book it before the storm, not after
The week after a big storm is when everyone wants a tree company. Getting a problem tree looked at now is easier and cheaper than an emergency call later, and the estimate is free. We’re insured and bonded, and we cover Lake County and the surrounding counties. Here’s what happens at an estimate, and when to trim in Northeast Ohio. Request your free estimate, check our service area, or call 440-901-8427.