Will my insurance cover a fallen tree?

Storm damage to buildings and fences is commonly covered, and clearance is sometimes included, but cover for the tree itself and for garden features varies. Photograph everything before it is cut and speak to the insurer before the clearance starts.

The tree fell from next door onto my garden — who deals with it?

Responsibility usually follows ownership of the land the tree grew on. In practice both sides often need to agree access, so start with a conversation rather than a letter, and get the dangerous parts made safe regardless of who ends up paying.

Do I need permission to clear a tree that has already blown over?

A protected tree that has become dangerous can be dealt with to remove the immediate risk, but written notice must go to the local planning authority as soon as practicable afterwards, and there may be a duty to plant a replacement.

Can I hire a chainsaw and cut it up myself?

Windblown stems are under tension and release unpredictably, which is why storm clearance features so heavily in tree work injury figures. Cross-cutting logs already on the ground is a different job from taking apart a tree that is still loaded.

Emergency

Updated 30 August 2026

Tree Blown Over In A Storm

A tree has come down in high wind and is lying across the garden, a fence, a shed, the house or the road.

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What's happening?

A windblown tree is not finished moving. Once down, it holds enormous stored energy: the trunk is bent over whatever it landed on, the root plate has usually lifted and is under tension, and branches beneath the stem are compressed like springs. Cutting into that in the wrong order releases it violently, which is why storm clearance causes a disproportionate share of serious chainsaw injuries. The other risk is what the tree has landed on or brought down with it — a service cable, a fence, a roof, a wall or a neighbour's property. What looks like a chainsaw job on Saturday morning is a rigging and dismantling job with a defined sequence, and the sequence depends on where the tension is.

What usually causes it?

Saturated ground reducing root anchorage, so the root plate lifts in wind that the tree would normally survive
Root damage from earlier trenching, building work, paving or a driveway laid over the root area
Decay in the roots or the base of the trunk, often with no visible sign above ground until it fails
A one-sided or top-heavy crown after years of unbalanced growth or bad pruning, catching wind like a sail
A shallow-rooted species on a made-up or compacted soil, particularly on late-build plots
Losing shelter — a neighbouring tree, hedge or building removed, exposing a tree that had grown up sheltered
Exceptional gusts in a named storm, on ground already softened by weeks of rain

Is it dangerous?

Yes, and in more ways than the fallen trunk. Keep everyone well clear: a lifted root plate can drop back suddenly, and a trunk under tension can roll or spring when disturbed. If the tree has touched or brought down an overhead line, or a cable is lying anywhere in the debris, treat the whole area as live, keep everyone at a distance and report it to the electricity network operator immediately — a line on the ground is an emergency call, not something to inspect. If the tree is on the house or a wall, be alert to the structure it has hit as well as the tree. If it is across a road or footway, tell the highway authority.

Can I fix it myself?

Assess and secure, do not cut. Keep people and pets out of the area entirely, including anywhere the root plate could drop back into. Check from a distance for cables in the canopy or on the ground, and for damage to the roof, the wall or the fence. Photograph everything before anything is moved — your insurer will want that. Small brushwood clear of the trunk and off any tension can reasonably be cleared by hand. Do not run a chainsaw on a windblown stem, do not work alone, and do not stand downhill of it: the cut that releases a tensioned trunk is the one that catches people out.

When should you call a tree surgeon?

Immediately, and say what the tree is lying on. A tree across a garden with nothing under it is urgent; a tree on the house, a wall, a car, a road or anywhere near a cable is an emergency call-out. Contact your insurer at the same time, because storm damage is usually covered and they may want the tree recorded before it is cut up. If a power line is involved, the network operator attends the cable before any tree work starts.

What will the tree surgeon actually do?

Survey the whole scene for cables, structural damage, tension in the stem and where the root plate is loaded
Establish an exclusion zone and a safe working position before the first cut
Release tension in a planned sequence, cutting branches under compression and the stem in stages rather than in one pass
Rig and lower sections off a roof, wall or fence under control instead of dropping them
Reduce and section the trunk, then grind or remove the root plate and reinstate the ground where it lifted
Chip and clear the material, and inspect neighbouring trees exposed by the gap for the same risk

Frequently asked questions

We’re happy to answer all your questions.

Sources & References

Cracked Branch Hanging In The TreeEmergency Tree Leaning With Lifted RootsHigh risk Branches Touching Power LinesEmergency

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