Emergency Storm Tree Service in Cincinnati, OH

Emergency storm tree service is about getting the dangerous part dealt with first. After a big storm in Cincinnati, the calls that come first are trees on roofs, limbs through windows, trunks across driveways and branches hung up in other trees over a yard where children play. A tree resting on a house is under heavy, uneven load, and cutting it in the wrong order can drop it further into the roof. It is a job for a crew with rigging, not for a chainsaw from the hardware store.

What the storms here look like

Cincinnati gets its tree damage from several directions. Summer thunderstorms bring straight-line winds that snap trunks and pull shallow-rooted trees out of wet ground. Wet snow and ice weigh down limbs in winter. Tornadoes are rare but have hit the metro in 1974, 1999, 2012 and 2017. And on September 14, 2008, the remnant of Hurricane Ike brought gusts over 75 mph to Cincinnati and knocked out power to about 90 percent of Duke Energy's local customers; in Mount Healthy, a falling tree crushed a house and killed a resident. Trees with dead wood, decay or tight forks were the ones that came apart.

First steps for you

• Stay away from any downed wire and treat it as live. Call Duke Energy, then call us.
• Get everyone out of rooms under a tree that is on the roof.
• Take photos of the tree and the damage before anything is moved, for your insurance claim.
• Do not climb onto the roof or into the tree.
• If a city street tree is down across the road, report it through 311; Cincinnati's Urban Forestry program handles downed trees in the right-of-way.

How we work a storm call

When you call (513) 712-8578, we ask what is down, what it is on, and whether wires are involved. Jobs are handled in order of danger: trees on occupied houses and blocked exits first, then trees on cars, garages and fences, then trees down in open yards. Pieces are cut and lowered so the load comes off the structure gradually. Once the tree is off, we can help cover an opening with a tarp until your roofer arrives, and the rest of the cleanup can be scheduled as a regular job.

Insurance and debris

Homeowners policies often cover removing a tree that has fallen on a covered structure, but rules and limits vary, so call your insurer. Duke Energy says it does not clean up storm debris from its own work around lines; disposal is up to the property owner. The written estimate will itemize the emergency work separately from the general cleanup so your claim is easier to document.