Even though Toronto is a city, it is often referred to as an urban forest. This is thanks to all the greenery and trees growing and planted throughout it. Some have been developed during the building process, while others have been purposefully planted after development has been completed. This leaves the landscape with trees ranging in size. Although the big, beautiful trees are prized, this also means there is a risk of damage and danger during severe weather conditions. When there is a particularly bad storm, things like broken branches, uprooted trees, and other emergencies can happen that need immediate attention. In all likelihood, something will happen eventually. Our team at Five Star Tree Services want to help prepare you on what to do in the event of a tree emergency.
1.Assess the Situation & Surroundings
The first thing to do is stop and look around to assess potential dangers. Do so at a safe distance and don’t touch anything that could harm you. If you see a tree or a branch that has fallen on either a power line, a house, or a vehicle, you will need to call 911 right away, as well as emergency arborist services. Don’t allow anyone to get near this dangerous area, this includes kids and pets.
2.Call for Emergency Tree Services
As mentioned in step 1, after assessing the situation, you need to contact the appropriate people, this includes police and arborists that offer emergency tree services in your area. Luckily, our team at Five Star Tree Services work around the GTA and we do offer emergency tree services 24/7!
3.Document All Damages
Using a good quality phone camera or regular camera, make sure to take clear pictures of everything. This is going to help you with insurance claims. There is no such thing as too many photos. Take pictures of the trees that have been affected, and damaged property, and anything else in the surrounding area that has been affected.
4.Make Safety a Priority
Above anything and everything else, make safety a top priority. Don’t try to remove or prune damaged branches by yourself. If you followed our instructions and have already done step 2, just sit back and wait for the professionals to come and help. If you attempt to remove things yourself, this can lead to further damage and possible injury.
5.Restoration with Arborist Help
Once the storm is no longer active and all the dangers have been dealt with, you should start thinking about the long-term health of your remaining trees. To negate future issues and damage, consider annual tree inspections from your local arborist. This will help identify any potential issues your trees have and will help to make sure your trees are strong and healthy. Certified arborists can offer regular tree maintenance, pruning, cabling and bracing, among other services that are essential to maintaining a beautiful and healthy tree.
6.Cleanup & Stump Grinding Services
For something like an uprooted tree, or if a tree needs to be removed after a storm, you will need to think about what to do with the remaining stump. Unless specified, stumps are left by arborists in a tree removal process. If left, they can be hazardous and ugly. An easy solution for this is to get stump grinding services in order to uphold the safety of your property and its appearance as well.
7.Future Planning
You can never predict the severity of a storm, but you can help prevent tree emergencies with proper maintenance and care. This means regular tree inspections, tree pruning/trimming, to help minimize future risks of obtaining storm damages.
How Five Star Tree Services Can Help
Storms are a force of nature that can’t be controlled. However, you can control the upkeep of your trees so that damage occurring during a storm is minimized. This means enlisting a trusted local arborist to assist you. Our team at Five Star Tree Services is here to help you at any time. If you ever find yourself needing emergency tree services in Toronto, don’t hesitate to give us a call right away at (416) 990-3355!