Preventing Storm Damage from Fallen Trees.
Last week I noticed a tree within striking distance of our home, garage, and shop, had started leaning towards the house more than I thought was safe. I text Jeff Mckillop at Tolt Tree Care, a couple of pictures of the tree, and he and his crew came out right away! I have known and recommended Jeff to my friends and clients for many, many years, and I finally got to have him cut down a tree for me!
I was really impressed watching them work even while the wind was blowing. As a boy I climbed many trees, and while I now consider myself a man, you will never catch me at the top of a tree (in the wind) with a chainsaw! Here’s a Picture my neighbor took after the top of the tree had already been cut down. While logging and forestry are a big part of life out here it’s still impressive to see what it takes to safely fell a dangerous tree. These guys are the real deal.
Don’t miss this Video of the whole process, first they climb and limb the tree, once he reaches the top, he cuts it down one small section at a time. Each Piece falling safely away from any structures.
We are so grateful to the crew at Tolt Tree Care who showed up so quickly to take care of this for our family. Once the tree was down we were able to see just how rotten and dangerous the tree was.
The following weekend, we had severe winds that knocked out power for several hours. Alot of trees came down in the area. Not this one… we slept great during periods of high wind, knowing this tree was no longer a threat.
I asked my insurance agent, Sally Petty with American Family, what my policy covered with regards to storm damage from trees… She stated-
“While I can’t speak for every single homeowner’s policy in the industry, windstorm coverage is a very real concern and is provided as a standard peril of loss on homeowner’s insurance. It’s commonly thought that the policy responds for the person who OWNS the tree, and that is a common misconception. For example, my neighbor’s tree falls on my house…It’s thought that it would be the neighbor’s policy that responds and that is incorrect. Unless there is an issue of negligence (the tree is dead and the owner of said tree isn’t working to resolve it), the house the tree lands on would file the claim. The purpose of insurance is to indemnify a client, which simply means to get them back to where they were previous to the loss. A large tree fall situation can result in the house being unlivable so most policies will also provide a loss of use benefit which would provide a hotel stay and meal reimbursement until the house can be lived in again. It’s recommended to keep trees trimmed as much as possible as well as have an arbor look at trees of concern.”
Sally Petty has been our agent and we have been insured by American Family Insurance for 8 1/2 years. She is another highly trusted vendor that we recommend to all our friends, family, and clients.
Jeff and his crew also specialize in removing trees that have already fallen and caused property damage. We chose to have the tree professionally removed rather than wait to see just how dangerous the tree was, and couldn’t be happier with the service from Jeff and the Guys. If you need any tree work, dont hesitate to call or connect for a free estimate!
