Tree Tips
Storm Safety Guide
- Tree Tips · Storm Safety · Palm Beach County
How to Assess Your Trees After a Storm — Before You Call Anyone
By ArbolPro Services ISA-Certified Arborists · Palm Beach County, FL · Storm Season Guide
A step-by-step field assessment homeowners can do safely from the ground — so you know what needs immediate attention, what can wait, and what to document before any crew arrives.
- ISA-Certified · Licensed & Insured · West Palm Beach
The storm passed. The power is back. Now you walk outside and see your trees — some leaning, some missing branches, one that looks like nothing happened at all.
Before you call a tree service company in Palm Beach County, there’s a useful assessment you can do yourself, safely from the ground. It takes 20–30 minutes, helps you prioritize what’s genuinely urgent versus what can wait, and gives you the information any arborist will ask for when you do call.
This guide is based on what our ISA-certified arborists look for when they arrive at properties across Palm Beach County after a named storm. We’re sharing it here because an informed homeowner makes better decisions — and that benefits everyone.
- Step-by-step ground assessment — no climbing required
- The 5 signs that mean call immediately
- What looks bad but usually isn't
- How to document damage for your insurance claim
- When to wait vs. when to act
The First 30 Minutes — What to Do Before You Assess Anything
After a storm, the instinct is to go straight to the damage. Resist it for a few minutes.
Before you walk your property, look for downed power lines from the door or a window. If any line is on the ground — or on a tree, fence, or structure — do not approach it. Call FPL at 1-800-468-8243 and stay inside until they confirm the area is safe. A line that appears dead may not be.
Once you’re confident there are no electrical hazards, walk the perimeter of your property first. Look for:
- Trees or large branches that have landed on structures — your roof, pool cage, fence, or a neighbor’s property
- Trees that are leaning significantly more than before the storm
- Root balls that have partially lifted from the ground
- Any tree that is in contact with a power line
If you see any of the above, photograph it from a safe distance and do not approach the tree. These are situations that require professional assessment before anything else happens.
For everything else — broken branches, leaf debris, minor lean — a systematic walkthrough will help you understand what’s genuinely urgent and what can wait for a scheduled appointment.
How to Assess Your Trees After a Storm — A Section-by-Section Walkthrough
Work through each tree on your property methodically. Use your phone to photograph anything that concerns you — you’ll want that documentation for the arborist and for your insurance company.
Start at the base of the tree.
Look at the root zone — the area extending roughly as far from the trunk as the canopy spreads. Signs of root failure include: soil that has cracked or heaved near the base, the root ball lifting on one side, or the trunk leaning where it didn’t before. Any of these is a serious structural indicator. The tree may look intact from a distance while its foundation is compromised.
Move to the trunk.
Look for new cracks, splits, or bark that has separated from the wood. Small surface cracks in bark are often cosmetic. Vertical splits that run down the trunk, or cracks that show bare wood underneath, are structural. Run your hand along the trunk at shoulder height — decay that’s been there for years often isn’t visible until wind stress reveals it.
Look at the canopy.
From a safe distance, scan for:
- Hanging branches — branches that broke partially but didn’t fall, suspended in the canopy (“widow makers”)
- Large broken limbs wedged between other branches
- The overall silhouette — does the canopy look lopsided in a way it didn’t before?
Hanging branches are one of the most dangerous post-storm hazards. They look stable until a second wind event, or until someone walks underneath. Any hanging branch over a path, driveway, pool, or structure should be treated as urgent.
For palms specifically.
Check whether the crown shaft (the smooth green column at the top) is still vertical and intact. A bent, kinked, or collapsed crown shaft means the growing point is damaged — the palm will not recover. Also check whether the fronds have been stripped entirely. A palm that lost its fronds in a storm but has an intact crown shaft will typically produce new growth within weeks.
The 5 Signs That Mean Call Immediately — Don't Wait for a Quote
Most post-storm tree damage can be evaluated and scheduled over a few days. These five situations cannot.
1. Any tree or branch in contact with a structure. If a tree or large branch has landed on your roof, pool cage, fence, or vehicle — or is making contact with any part of your home — the weight is causing damage every hour it sits there. Active roof penetration means active water intrusion. This is the situation that turns a tree removal into a mold remediation job. Call immediately.
2. Any tree in contact with a power line. Do not approach. Do not attempt to remove it yourself. Call FPL first, then call a tree service. Working near energized lines requires utility coordination. This is non-negotiable.
3. A tree that has shifted at the root ball. If you can see that a tree has moved — even slightly — at the base, its root system is compromised. A tree that’s still standing after losing 30–40% of its root attachment can come down in the next light rain. This is not a “wait and see” situation.
4. Hanging branches over occupied areas. Widow makers — partially broken branches suspended in the canopy — are unstable. They can fall without warning. If you have a hanging branch over your driveway, front door, children’s play area, pool, or any regularly occupied space, that needs to come down before normal activity resumes.
5. A tree with a visible trunk split or failure. A tree that has split at a major branch junction or down the main trunk is structurally finished. Even if it looks like it’s still standing, the remaining wood is in tension. Don’t leave vehicles or people beneath it.
For all five of these: ArbolPro Services responds 24 hours a day in Palm Beach County. Call (728) 209-4532 directly — don’t fill out an online form for a situation that needs immediate attention. See our emergency tree service page for more.
What Looks Alarming But Usually Isn't
After a significant storm, properties across Palm Beach County tend to look worse than they are. Some common post-storm conditions that look serious but rarely require immediate action:
Heavy leaf drop. Many trees — live oaks in particular — respond to wind stress by dropping large quantities of leaves. This looks like the tree is dying. It isn’t. It’s a stress response. Give the tree 2–3 weeks and check whether new growth appears before making any removal decisions.
Small broken branches throughout the canopy. Wind naturally prunes a tree’s weakest, most vulnerable branches. A tree with scattered small branch loss has essentially self-corrected in the storm. Cleanup is needed, but the tree itself is likely fine.
Temporary lean in younger trees. Younger trees — particularly those planted in the last 2–3 years — can develop a temporary lean during high winds if their root systems haven’t fully established. Stake them upright within 24 hours and assess root stability. Many recover fully with proper support.
Palm frond loss. A palm that has lost most or all of its fronds in a storm is not necessarily dead. If the crown shaft is intact and vertical, the growing point is protected. The palm will produce new fronds. Give it 4–6 weeks before concluding that it won’t recover.
Brown or scorched-looking foliage. In South Florida storms, salt spray from strong coastal winds can cause rapid leaf browning inland — sometimes as far as Wellington or Boynton Beach depending on storm direction. This is called salt burn. It looks severe, but trees with salt burn typically recover once regular rainfall resumes.
Storm Damage to Your Tree? We Respond 24/7 Across Palm Beach County
How to Document Storm Damage for Your Insurance Claim
If a tree has damaged your property, proper documentation before any work begins is critical for your insurance claim. Most homeowner’s insurers in Florida require specific documentation to process tree-related claims — and missing any of it can delay or reduce your payout.
What to photograph before anything is moved or removed:
- The full tree — showing its position relative to the structure it affected
- Close-up of where the tree or branch made contact with the structure
- The damage to the structure itself
- The root zone, if there is evidence of root failure or lifting
- Any other trees on the property that sustained damage
What to keep after the work is done:
- The written estimate from the tree service company
- The final invoice with the full scope of work described
- Any photos the crew takes during the removal process
At ArbolPro Services, we document every storm removal job with photographs and provide a detailed written invoice that includes the scope of work — in the format Florida insurers typically require. We’ve worked with homeowners throughout Palm Beach County on post-storm claims after every major weather event in recent years.
One practical note: your homeowner’s policy likely covers removal of a tree that fell on a structure, but may not cover removal of a tree that fell in your yard without hitting anything. Check your policy’s specific language, or call your agent, before assuming coverage applies.
Post-Storm Tree Assessment Across Palm Beach County — What We Typically See
After 10 years of storm-season work in Palm Beach County, certain patterns emerge depending on where a property is located.
West Palm Beach properties tend to have mature live oak and ficus canopies. These species hold wind well but generate significant hanging branch hazards when they do fail — particularly where large lateral limbs were never structurally pruned.
Wellington and Loxahatchee — being further inland — often experience wind from a different direction than coastal communities during the same storm. Properties here frequently have more tree coverage per lot, which means more trees to assess and more interaction between canopies.
Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens face higher direct wind exposure. Coastal properties in these areas tend to see more complete failures — trees that come down entirely rather than losing branches — particularly in species that were already stressed by salt air.
Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Boynton Beach frequently experience salt spray damage in addition to wind damage after east-coast storm tracks. The combination of mechanical wind stress and chemical salt burn means damage assessments here sometimes need to be deferred 2–3 weeks for the full picture to become clear.
Pompano Beach properties near the coast often deal with similar salt spray conditions. Post-storm leaf browning is common and frequently misread as severe structural damage when it isn’t.
If you’re not sure what you’re looking at on your property — anywhere in Palm Beach County — a free on-site assessment from one of our ISA-certified arborists will give you a clear picture before you commit to any work.
When to Call a Professional — And What Information to Have Ready
Any of the five emergency situations described above: call immediately at (728) 209-4532.
For everything else — non-urgent damage, cleanup, debris removal, post-storm structural assessment — here’s what to have ready when you call:
- Your address and the best access point for a crew with a chipper truck
- A rough count of how many trees need assessment or removal
- Photos you’ve already taken, if you have them
- Whether the tree has made contact with any structure
- Whether there’s a power line anywhere near the affected trees
You don’t need all of this to call — we’ll gather what we need during the estimate visit. But having it ready speeds up the process considerably when demand is high across the county after a storm.
Our ISA-certified arborists provide free on-site estimates across Palm Beach County. After a named storm, we triage based on severity — active hazards and structure-contact situations first, then cleanup and non-urgent assessment. We’ll tell you where you are in that queue when you call.
For additional guidance on permit requirements and what to expect from a professional removal, see our tree removal service page.
- Frequently Asked Questions
How to Assess Trees After a Storm — FAQ
Common questions we hear from homeowners across Palm Beach County after a named storm.
When is the best time to trim trees in Palm Beach County before hurricane season?
Wait until you’ve checked for downed power lines from inside or from your doorway before stepping outside. If any line is on the ground — or on a tree or structure — call FPL at 1-800-468-8243 and stay inside. Once you’re confident there are no electrical hazards, a ground-level walkthrough of the property is generally safe if you stay clear of leaning trees and hanging branches.
How much of a tree should you trim before a hurricane?
No one can predict with certainty whether a specific tree will fall, but there are clear warning signs: root ball lifting or soil heaving at the base, new lean that wasn’t there before, visible trunk cracks or splits, and hanging branches in the canopy. Any of these warrants a professional assessment before the next weather event. An ISA-certified arborist can evaluate structural risk far more accurately than a visual check from the ground.
Should you trim palm trees before a hurricane in South Florida?
Not necessarily. If the crown shaft — the smooth green column at the top of the trunk — is still vertical and intact, the growing point is protected. A palm that lost its fronds but has an undamaged crown shaft will typically produce new growth within 4–6 weeks. Give it time before making a removal decision. If the crown shaft is bent, split, or has collapsed downward, the apical bud — the palm’s only growing point — is damaged and the palm will not recover.
Does trimming trees before a hurricane actually help?
It depends on your specific policy and the situation. Most Florida homeowner’s policies cover tree removal when the tree has fallen on a covered structure — your house, attached garage, or pool cage. Removal of a tree that fell in the yard without hitting a structure is typically not covered, or is covered only up to a small limit. The key step is to document everything before removal begins — photograph the tree, the contact point, and the structural damage. Keep the written estimate and invoice from whoever does the work.
How soon before hurricane season should trees be trimmed in Florida?
For emergency situations — tree on a structure, hanging branches over occupied areas, root ball movement — don’t wait. For everything else, 2–3 days is reasonable to let the property dry out and for the full extent of damage to become visible. Some post-storm conditions, like salt burn leaf browning, need 2–3 weeks to fully declare themselves. If you’re not sure, a free on-site assessment from an ISA-certified arborist can give you a clear picture without committing to any work.
The Bottom Line
Knowing how to assess your trees after a storm in Palm Beach County means you can make faster, better decisions — and avoid unnecessary costs for trees that will recover on their own.
The most important things to remember: check for power line contact before anything else, look for root movement and hanging branches as the two most common non-obvious hazards, and document everything before any crew begins work.
For situations that can’t wait, ArbolPro Services responds 24 hours a day across Palm Beach County. For everything else, a free on-site assessment from our ISA-certified arborists will give you a clear, honest picture of what your trees actually need.
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Need a free quote in Palm Beach County? Contact ArbolPro Services today or call (728) 209-4532. We serve West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Wellington, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, and Pompano Beach.
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