Emergency and Storm Tree Service in Marin County
A tree on the house or across the driveway? Call us.
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or get a free estimateMarin gets its trees knocked around every winter. A string of atmospheric rivers soaks the hills, the soil turns soft, and then a strong wind comes through. Big eucalyptus and pines go over at the roots, oaks drop limbs the size of small trees, and roads from Tiburon to Larkspur end up blocked with branches. When it's your house, your car or your only way out of the driveway, you need someone who can get there and deal with it. Our crews take a lot of these calls every rainy season, and we know how to work a fallen tree off a house without making things worse.
This page covers what to do in the first few minutes after a tree comes down, how we clear a fallen tree safely, what we document for your insurance company, and how to cut your odds of a repeat next winter. For trees that are still standing but worrying you, see our hazard tree assessment.
Questions about a tree?
Call TRACKING NUMBERFirst Steps When a Tree Comes Down
Get everyone out of any room where a tree or limb has come through the roof, and stay out until it's checked. If any wire is touching the tree or lying on the ground, treat it as live. Keep people and pets well away, call 911, then call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. Don't try to cut or pull a tree that's resting on a house or under tension. Trunks pinned against something can spring free when cut, and that's how people get badly hurt. Take photos from a safe distance, then give us a call. If a car is pinned, leave it where it is. Moving it can shift the tree, and the photos help your auto claim. Tell us on the phone whether the tree is on the house, a vehicle, the driveway or a wire, so we bring the right gear for the job.
How We Clear a Fallen Tree
A tree lying on a roof is a different job from one lying in the yard. The weight is often holding things in place, and removing it in the wrong order can do more damage than the fall did. So we look first. Then we take the tree off in sections from the top down, lowering pieces on ropes so nothing drops onto the roof again. Trunks under tension get cut in a planned sequence to release that stress safely. Once the weight is off, we can tarp an opening in the roof to keep rain out until your roofer gets there, then chip the brush and clear the yard. If the tree only blocked the driveway, we cut a path first so you can get out, then come back to finish the cleanup. Big trunk rounds can stay for firewood or go with us, whichever you prefer.
Storm Damage and Your Insurance
If a tree damages your house, garage or fence, homeowners insurance often helps with the cost of removing it, depending on your policy. What insurers want is documentation. Before we move anything, we photograph the tree where it fell, the damage it caused and the stump or root ball. We write up what we found and what we did, with dates, and give you a copy for your claim. Call your insurance company early, and ask what they need from you. We're happy to talk directly with your adjuster. Keep receipts for anything you pay for along the way, like tarps or a hotel night if the house isn't livable. Those costs are often part of a claim too.
Getting Ahead of the Next Storm
Most storm damage comes from trees that showed warning signs months earlier: dead limbs, a slow new lean, decay at the base. A short visit before winter catches most of it. Thinning a dense canopy lowers the wind load, and taking weight off long limbs over the roof cuts the odds of one breaking. If you had a close call this year, ask us to look at the rest of the trees on your lot while we're there. Fall is the best time to book it, before the rain starts. Trees that already lost a big limb deserve extra attention, since the wound left behind can let decay in and the tree's balance has changed.
A storm-season trim with our tree trimming and pruning crews is the simplest way to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get everyone out of the damaged part of the house and stay clear of any downed wires. If a line is involved, call 911 and then PG&E. Don't try to move or cut the tree yourself, since a trunk resting on a roof can shift when it's cut. Take photos from a safe spot, call your insurance company, then call us to remove the tree and make the roof safe.
Often, when the tree damaged a covered structure like the house, a garage or a fence. Policies vary, and many pay less or nothing when a tree falls in the yard without hitting anything. Read your policy or call your agent to check. We'll give you photos and a written account of the job to support your claim.
The utility. If a tree is touching or tangled in a power line, PG&E has to make the line safe first. Stay well away and call 911 and PG&E. Once the power is cut or the line is cleared, we can come in and remove the rest of the tree and clean up the yard.
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