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Storms in the South Puget Sound take trees down at the worst possible moment — a Douglas fir across the driveway at 2 a.m., a hemlock leaning into the roofline after a windstorm, a split maple limb left hanging over a walkway. Pacific Arboriculture answers emergency tree calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with ISA Certified Arborists and NCCCO crane-certified operators on call for storm tree removal, fallen tree cleanup, and storm debris cleanup across Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Renton, Tacoma, Puyallup and the surrounding South Sound communities. If a tree is resting on a structure, blocking access, or hung up in another tree, call (206) 909‑2170 now. If a line is down, report it to your utility and call 911 first — then call us for the tree.
Free on-site assessment · 24/7 emergency response available
Emergency work is different from scheduled tree removal. A storm-damaged tree carries stored tension in its limbs and trunk, its remaining anchorage is unknown, and the failure often sits directly against something that has to be protected. Every emergency call starts with an assessment by an ISA Certified Arborist before a saw touches the wood.
The load has to come off the structure in the right order. We rig and section the trunk so weight is lifted away rather than dropped, and we document the damage for your claim before anything is moved.
Trees down across driveways, fence lines, pastures, and yards. We buck and remove the stem, clear the brush and debris, and haul everything off. Stump grinding can be added to the same visit.
Partly detached limbs caught in the canopy are the most common post-storm hazard on a property. They are removed by climbers under rope control, not knocked down from below.
A tree that shifted in a windstorm is inspected for root-plate lift, soil heaving, and trunk cracks. Some are stable and can be retained; others have already failed and simply have not finished falling.
Large or tightly-confined failures may call for a crane-assisted removal. For non-urgent work, see tree removal and pruning.
The sequence below is what happens from the moment you call. During an active storm, response is prioritized by hazard severity — trees on occupied structures and blocked emergency access come first.
Move people and vehicles well clear of the tree and anything it is leaning on. Call 911 for structural damage, a gas smell, or a downed conductor, and report downed lines to your utility. Assume every wire is live.
What fell, what it landed on, whether anyone is displaced, and whether access is blocked. Photos sent from the site help us send the right equipment the first time.
An ISA Certified Arborist reads the failure before work starts: where the tension and compression are, what is still holding the stem, and what the tree will do when it is cut. TRAQ-qualified assessment methodology is applied to anything that is still standing.
The tree is dismantled in sections under rope and rigging control, with a crane brought in when the pick is safer than a climb. Roof, siding, fencing, and landscape below the work are protected.
Debris hauled off, site raked, access restored. You receive photos, an itemized invoice, and — where the claim needs it — a written ISA Certified Arborist report describing the tree, the failure, and the work performed.
Three questions come up on nearly every storm call. The short answers are below; a full assessment on site is still free.
Pacific Arboriculture does not perform utility line clearance. If a conductor is down, broken, arcing, or has a tree across it, that work belongs to the utility — call 911 and report it to Puget Sound Energy, Tacoma Power, or your local utility, and stay at least 35 feet away, including from puddles and fences the line may be energizing.
We do work on trees adjacent to power lines. Once the utility has de-energized, grounded, or cleared the span, our crews remove the tree or the failed limbs and finish the cleanup. On many storm calls the utility handles the conductor within hours and we handle everything else the same day.
Most South Sound jurisdictions carry an exemption for trees that have already failed or present an imminent hazard, and several allow removal first with documentation filed afterward. The documentation is the part homeowners get caught on — cities routinely ask for photographs and a written arborist assessment after the fact, and the tree is gone by then.
We photograph and document every emergency removal before it is cut, so the record exists if the city asks for it. Permit rules differ by city and by tree, and code changes; confirm current requirements with your jurisdiction. City-by-city permit thresholds are laid out on our tree removal page.
Most homeowners policies cover tree removal when the tree damaged a covered structure — house, garage, fence, or vehicle. Coverage for a tree that came down without hitting anything varies by policy, and insurers are less likely to pay when the tree was already dead or in advanced decline. Check your limits with your agent.
Adjusters generally want the same package: dated photographs of the tree in place, a description of the failure and its cause, and an itemized scope of work. A written report from an ISA Certified Arborist covers all three. See arborist reports and consultations for what a report includes.
Get everyone away from the tree and stay clear of any downed wires. Call 911 if there is structural damage, a gas smell, or a conductor on the ground, and report downed lines to your utility. Then call (206) 909‑2170 and describe what you are looking at. Do not climb on the tree or cut anything to relieve the load — a stem resting on a roof is holding tension, and cutting it in the wrong order drops the remaining weight onto the structure.
Emergency response runs around the clock, including nights and weekends. During an active storm, calls are sequenced by hazard severity: trees on occupied structures and blocked emergency access come first, then blocked driveways and access, then debris. Most calls in Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Renton, Tacoma, and Puyallup get a crew on site within hours. Photos sent from the site help us dispatch the right equipment and crew size the first time instead of scheduling a second trip.
Storm work is quoted on its own hourly structure rather than the standard tree-size price list, because crew size, equipment, and site access change from one failure to the next. What the tree landed on, how much stored tension is in the wood, whether a crane pick is required, and the time of day all move the number. A $500 minimum applies to tree service booked as a standalone visit. Published ranges for planned, non-emergency removals are on our tree removal cost page.
Coverage depends on the policy, but most homeowners policies pay for removal when the tree damaged a covered structure — house, garage, fence, or vehicle. Trees that fell without hitting anything are covered less often, and insurers are more likely to deny a claim when the tree was already dead or decayed. We provide an itemized invoice and, where the claim needs it, a written ISA Certified Arborist report documenting the tree, the failure, and the work performed. Confirm your limits with your agent.
Not by a property owner, and not by anyone while the conductor is live. Pacific Arboriculture does not perform utility line clearance. If a tree or limb is on a line, treat every wire as energized, keep people and equipment well back, and report it to your utility; call 911 if the line is down across a road or against a structure. Once the utility has de-energized or cleared the line, we work on trees adjacent to power lines.
Not always. A tree that shifted in a windstorm is inspected for root-plate lift, soil heaving, and cracks in the trunk and major limbs. Some leaning trees are stable and can be retained, in some cases with cabling or bracing and a follow-up inspection. Others have already failed at the roots and simply have not finished falling — those come down. The difference is not visible from the street, which is why an ISA Certified Arborist assesses the tree before anything is cut.
A storm-damaged tree stores energy in ways a standing tree does not. Hung-up stems, split limbs, and bent saplings release violently when the wrong cut is made, and a trunk under compression can pinch the bar and kick the saw back. Storm cleanup is one of the most common sources of chainsaw injuries. A tree fully on the ground, clear of structures, and not under tension is manageable limb work; anything hung up, leaning, or resting on something needs a crew.
Nights, weekends, and through the worst of a windstorm. A tree on a structure, a stem across the only way in, or a limb hanging over an entry gets a crew dispatched — call and describe what you are looking at.
Emergency and storm response is quoted on its own hourly structure rather than the standard tree-size price list, because crew size, equipment, and site conditions change from one failure to the next. Two identical Douglas firs can differ by a factor of three depending on what they landed on. The drivers below are what an arborist is pricing when they walk the site.
| What changes the price | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What the tree landed on | A stem in an open yard is bucked and hauled. A stem on a roof has to be rigged and lifted off in sections without adding load — slower, and it takes more crew. |
| Stored tension in the wood | Hung-up, split, and bent stems hold energy that has to be released in a controlled order. This is the single largest difference between storm work and a planned removal. |
| Access | Whether a chip truck and crane can reach the tree, or whether every piece is carried out by hand. |
| Crane requirement | Confined sites, structures underneath, or a stem too compromised to climb call for a crane pick instead of a manual dismantle. |
| Debris volume and haul-off | A full canopy on the ground is a lot of chipping. Wood can be left on site if you want it, which reduces the haul. |
| Time of day | After-hours and active-storm dispatch is priced differently than a scheduled daytime visit. |
A $500 minimum applies to tree service booked as a standalone visit. Stump grinding carries a $250 minimum and is usually added to the removal rather than booked on its own. Written arborist reports for insurance start at $400 for residential and right-of-way work and $800 for commercial and development work; a report is an assessment of tree condition and is not a permit, and permitting requirements are set by your jurisdiction.
Published price ranges for planned, non-emergency removals are on our tree removal cost page.
Every certification number below links to that arborist’s credential record with the International Society of Arboriculture, so you can verify it before anyone sets foot on your property.
Washington L&I Contractor License PACIFA*813KG · WSDA Pesticide Applicator #109480 · $1M liability insured
Storm damage does not wait for business hours, and neither do we. Call for emergency response, or request a free assessment if the tree is standing and you want it looked at before the next system moves through.
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