Emergency Tree Service Hot Springs AR

Tree Down? Start Here.

If anyone is hurt or trapped, or there’s a fire, call 911. If a power line is down or touching the tree, stay far away from the line and anything it’s touching, and report it to your power company. Then call 501-817-7761 and tell us what the tree has landed on.

Hot Springs Tree Service Co. handles storm-damaged and fallen trees in and around Hot Springs: trees on houses, cars, fences and driveways.

Storm damage is the one kind of tree work you shouldn’t try to size up yourself. A tree that looks settled can still shift, and limbs under tension can move without warning.

For a tree that’s already down, please call rather than using the form. If you reach voicemail, leave your address, your number and what happened.

What to Do First

Get everyone out of the damaged part of the house. A tree resting on a roof can shift.
Keep people and cars away from the tree and from anything it is leaning on.
Look for wires from a distance. Treat every downed line as live, including the service line to the house, and stay away from the tree if a line is anywhere in or under it.
If you smell gas, get everyone away from the house and call the gas company or 911 from a distance.
Take photos and video from a distance, before anything is moved. Your insurer may want them.
Call your insurer and ask what your policy covers and what they need from you.
Don’t start cutting. A lot of storm injuries happen during cleanup.

Free Storm Damage Quote

Tree on a house, a car or a driveway? Please call instead.

What Counts as a Tree Emergency?

Call right away about any of these:

A tree or large limb on a house, a garage or a vehicle
A tree blocking the only way out of your property
A broken limb hanging over a door, a driveway or a walkway
A trunk that has split and is still standing

A tree that has fallen across the lawn without hitting anything is a nuisance, not an emergency. So is a pile of broken branches. Those can be handled as an ordinary job, and you can use the form for them.

A tree that is leaning hard toward the house but has not fallen sits in between. Stay out of the direction of the lean, and phone so someone can come and see it.

How Emergency Tree Removal Works

The first goal is to deal with the hazard, not to finish the whole job. That means getting the tree off the house and taking care of anything that is still standing and unstable. The rest of the cleanup can follow once the hazard is dealt with.

Trees on a house

The trunk is supported or lifted so its weight comes off the roof, then cut away in sections. Cutting a trunk that’s resting on rafters can drop it straight through them, so big trees often call for a crane. Once the tree is off, the opening needs to be covered until a roofer can repair it. Ask your insurer how they want that handled.

Trees across driveways

A blocked driveway is usually opened up first so vehicles can get through, with the wood and brush dealt with afterward.

Trees on fences, sheds and vehicles

Smaller structures get the same approach: the weight comes off piece by piece so the damage does not get worse. If a vehicle is involved, photograph it and call your auto insurer before the tree is moved.

Uprooted trees

When a tree goes over roots and all, the root ball stands on edge above a hole. Cutting the trunk can let the root ball fall back, so keep people, and especially children, away from the hole.

Hanging limbs and split trunks

A broken limb caught high in a tree, or a trunk that has split but not fallen, can come down with no warning. Keep people and cars out from under it until it has been taken out.

Worker feeding branches into a wood chipper

After the Tree Is Off the House

Once the tree is cleared, there are two calls left to make. First, your insurer, if you haven’t reached them yet. Keep the receipt for the emergency work. Second, a roofer, to repair the roof.

If the tree pulled the electrical service off the house, an electrician will be needed as well, once the power company has dealt with the line.

It’s also worth having your other trees looked at after a storm.

After a storm that hits all of Garland County, expect roads to be blocked and phones to be busy. Keeping clear of the tree, taking photos and reaching your insurer are the things you can do in the meantime.

Why Storm-Damaged Trees Are So Dangerous

A fallen tree can look harmless lying there. The trunk and limbs are bent and loaded like springs, and the tension isn’t where you’d expect. Cut in the wrong spot and a limb can whip sideways, or the trunk can roll or stand back up as the root ball drops into its hole.

Storm-damaged wood has to be released carefully, one cut at a time. Please don’t take it on with a borrowed saw and a ladder.

Storm Season in Hot Springs

Spring and early summer bring severe thunderstorms, straight-line winds and the occasional tornado. Saturated ground and high wind together are what bring tall trees down whole.
Winter ice storms are less frequent, but ice loads every limb at once, and large branches break or trunks split.
Late-summer drought doesn’t knock trees down by itself, but it weakens them.

If there’s a tree you already worry about, have it looked at before the next storm. It may only need trimming, or it may need removal.

Emergency Tree Service Questions

Does homeowners insurance pay for emergency tree removal?

It depends on your policy and on what the tree hit. Call your insurer early and take photos before the tree is moved.

A tree fell on my neighbor’s property. Who pays?

That’s a question for the insurers involved. Call yours, and take photos before anything is moved.

Can a leaning tree be saved after a storm?

A small, young tree that has tipped can sometimes be straightened and staked. A mature tree leaning with the soil lifted on one side usually has broken roots, so have it looked at soon.

Tree down right now? Call 501-817-7761.

Emergency Tree Service in Hot Springs, AR