Ice loaded limbs, wind thrown trees and thunderstorm debris, cleared safely from your Rochester property by a fully insured crew with a 24/7 line.
Rochester gets real weather. Lake effect snow stacks up on branches, ice storms glaze every twig, and summer thunderstorms bring wind that can drop a mature tree in seconds. After any of it, you may be looking at a fallen trunk across the driveway, a yard buried in broken limbs, or a hanging branch over the front door.
A One Tree Services handles storm damage tree removal and cleanup for homes and businesses across Monroe County. The crew brings spider lifts for tight backyards, bobcat loaders for hauling, high capacity chippers for brush, and climbing and rigging gear for the heavy work above your roof.
Each kind of storm hurts trees in its own way, and knowing the pattern helps you spot trouble early.
Wet snow off Lake Ontario clings to every branch. A silver maple with a few weak crotches can carry a surprising load before something tears out, and evergreens like white pine and spruce hold snow on every needle. Ice is worse, since it coats the limbs and adds weight without shedding. The damage often shows up a day later, when the sun hits the ice and branches start to let go. Our post on how winter weather damages trees in Rochester goes deeper.
Summer storms and strong lake winds do their damage fast. Fully leafed trees catch wind like a sail, and shallow rooted species such as willow, poplar and Callery pear are the usual casualties, along with any tree with a hollow trunk or a history of cracks. Trees on the Lake Ontario side of town, near the shoreline and the bays, take wind with less cover to break it. Read what causes trees to fall during storms for the common failure points.
Heavy clay soil in many parts of Rochester drains slowly. After a stretch of rain or a spring thaw, the ground turns soft and roots lose their grip, so a tree that stood through a dozen storms goes over in a modest breeze. If a tree has started to lean, or you see soil lifting on one side, treat it as urgent.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo issues the watches and warnings that cover Monroe County. Checking it before a big wind or ice event gives you time to move cars and keep people away from big trees.
A step by step approach that makes the yard safe first and tidy second.
We start by finding the dangers: hanging limbs, trees under tension, leaning trunks and wires. Nothing gets cut until we know where the load sits.
The crew cuts fallen wood into manageable pieces, feeds the brush into a high capacity chipper, and moves logs out with a bobcat loader.
For trees that survived, we make clean pruning cuts and explain what to watch. For trees that didn't, we recommend removal and say why.
Cleanup after a big storm is mostly judgment. The tree on the ground looks like the whole problem, but the real hazards are usually the ones above it: a broken limb caught in the canopy, a trunk resting on another tree, a branch with a long split that hasn't fallen yet. Crews call the hanging ones widow makers for a reason, so we look up before we look down.
Next comes access. A fallen trunk may block the driveway, the gate or the route to the backyard, and a spider lift is often the answer when a larger rig can't fit. We work in sections, lowering heavy pieces on rigging instead of dropping them on lawns, roofs or fences. The brush goes through the chipper, the logs are hauled or stacked as you ask, and we rake the work area before we go.
Last, we look at the trees that are still standing. Storms often loosen a neighbor tree or two that looked fine the day before. If something needs attention, you get a plain recommendation, either corrective pruning or removal, and whether the stump should come out. For stumps, see stump grinding in Rochester NY.
If the situation is dangerous right now, with a tree on the house or wires involved, skip this page and call our 24/7 emergency tree removal line. For winter specific jobs, read about winter storm tree cleanup in Rochester NY and emergency snow damage cleanup.
Walk any Rochester street after a storm and the same species turn up on the ground. Silver maples are fast growers with brittle wood, so they shed big limbs. Norway and sugar maples with tight V shaped crotches split down the middle. Willows and poplars go over at the roots. Callery pears, so common in newer subdivisions, tend to break apart as they age. White pines and spruces get top heavy with wet snow.
Ash trees deserve their own warning. Emerald ash borer is a real regional threat, and an ash that has been weakened by it can turn brittle and drop limbs with little notice. The emerald ash borer information network explains the signs. If an ash in your yard is thin on top or shedding bark, don't wait for the next storm to find out what it does.
A tree that is already dead, hollow or leaning is a storm waiting to happen, and removing it on a dry day costs less and risks less than doing it in the middle of a crisis. Our guide to the signs a tree needs removal shows what to look for. Whenever you're ready to plan it, we offer free estimates for storm cleanup in Rochester and for planned jobs alike.
Whether your policy pays for tree removal depends on the policy and on what the tree hit. Your insurer and adjuster make that decision, and we can't make it for you. The Insurance Information Institute has general background on homeowners coverage if you want to read before you call.
A few habits help. Photograph everything before it moves. Note the date and the weather. Keep receipts for tarps, repairs and cleanup. Call your insurance company early and ask whether they want to see the tree first. Ask us for a written invoice that describes the work, and keep your own before and after photos. Our emergency storm damage cleanup tips and what to do after storm damage in Rochester NY walk through the rest.
Pricing varies with tree size, access, equipment and how much debris there is. We do not guess over the phone. Every job starts with a free estimate, so you know the number before work begins. See tree removal in Rochester NY for planned removals.
Storm damage looks different from town to town. Webster sits near Irondequoit Bay and the lake, so shoreline wind shows up in its tree damage. See tree service in Webster NY and the post on storm damage tree removal in Webster NY. Penfield is a big suburban town with a lot of large lots and tall trees, and you can read more at tree service in Penfield NY. Pittsford has older neighborhoods with big mature trees along the Erie Canal, covered on our tree service in Pittsford NY page.
Before the next snow, our post on tree safety tips before heavy snowfall is worth a read. For all the towns we cover, see our Rochester area service map. You can also read the National Weather Service winter safety page for preparation guidance.
Storm cleanup means cutting wood that is bent, pinned or hung up, and the weight rarely sits where you expect. Trying it with a chainsaw from the ground is how people get hurt. Let a fully insured crew with the right equipment do it.
"The tree service exceeded expectations in every way. From the initial estimate to the final cleanup, everything was handled with professionalism and care. The crew arrived on time and worked efficiently."
Get everyone out of the damaged part of the house, keep away from any wires, and call 911 if there is fire, sparking or an injury. Take photos from a safe spot, then call A One Tree Services at (585) 888-9232 so we can plan how to lift the tree off the structure without causing more damage.
It depends on your policy, and your insurer and adjuster decide what is covered. Photos taken before anything is moved, saved receipts and a written invoice for the cleanup all help. Call your insurance company early and ask what they need from the contractor.
Yes. Storm cleanup covers cutting fallen limbs into pieces, chipping the brush, and hauling away the wood and debris so your yard is usable again. Tell us at the estimate if you want to keep any firewood length logs.
Only handle small branches you can reach from the ground with hand tools, and never near power lines or a leaning tree. Anything overhead, hung up in the canopy or bent under tension should be left to a professional with rigging and a chipper.
Call right away if a tree or limb is on your home, vehicle or power lines, if a tree is leaning with soil lifting at the roots, or if a broken limb is hanging overhead. Scattered debris with no danger attached can usually be scheduled, and we will tell you which category your yard is in.
Sometimes. A tree that lost a few limbs but still has a sound trunk and roots can often be cleaned up with proper pruning cuts. A split trunk, a heaved root plate or a tree leaning toward the house usually means removal. We will look at it on site and give you an honest recommendation.
Yes. We serve Rochester and nearby towns including Greece, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Irondequoit, Henrietta, Brighton, Chili, Victor, Perinton, Fairport and Spencerport, as well as Gates, Mendon, Hilton, East Rochester and Honeoye Falls.
Call A One Tree Services for storm damage tree removal Rochester NY property owners can book any hour, or request a free estimate online.
Call us 24/7 or fill out the quote form at the top of the page, and we’ll get back to you quickly.
