Tallahassee Hurricane Tree Safety Checklist

Before hurricane season

Walk the property from the street, driveway, and backyard. Look up into the canopy, then look down at the root flare. A tree can look healthy from one angle and show serious risk from another.

The biggest pre-storm problems around Tallahassee are heavy live oak limbs over roofs, longleaf and slash pines leaning toward structures, and water oaks with internal decay. These trees often fail when the ground is saturated and wind loads the canopy.

• Dead limbs larger than your wrist over a roof, driveway, or play area
• Fresh cracks in the trunk or where large limbs meet the stem
• Mushrooms, fungal conks, or hollow spots near the trunk base
• Soil lifting or cracking around the root plate
• Pines with bark missing from lightning or beetle damage

What to photograph

Good photos speed up estimates and help a crew understand the risk before arriving. Stand far enough back to show the whole tree, then take close photos of the trunk, roots, damaged limbs, and what sits underneath.

For storm claims, take pictures before anyone cuts the tree if it is safe to do so. Include the roof impact, fence damage, blocked driveway, or vehicle damage in the frame.

• Full tree from the street or yard
• Base of the trunk and visible roots
• Damaged limbs, cracks, or cavities
• Roof, fence, vehicle, utility line, or driveway underneath
• Access route for a bucket truck, crane, chipper, or trailer

When a tree becomes urgent

Not every leaning tree is an emergency, but some situations should not wait. If the tree has shifted after wind, is hung in another tree, or is touching a structure, treat it as active risk until a professional sees it.

Stay away from any tree or limb touching power lines. Call the utility first, then request tree removal after the line is made safe.

• Tree on a house, shed, vehicle, fence, or pool cage
• Tree blocking the only driveway or road access
• Large limb cracked and still hanging over a roof
• Root plate lifted after rain or wind
• Tree or limb touching a service drop or utility line

After the storm passes

Do not rush under broken limbs just because the wind has stopped. Tallahassee oaks can hold heavy cracked limbs in the canopy for days before they drop. Pines can also split internally and fail later when the ground stays wet.

Start with safety, then access, then cleanup. If the tree damaged a structure, document the scene before debris is moved. If the tree is only in the yard, it can usually wait behind roof impacts, blocked driveways, and utility hazards.