Emergency Tree Service in Jersey City, NJ

Emergency tree service is about safety first and speed second. A tree on a roof, a split trunk leaning over a house or a large limb hung up in a canopy is under tension in ways that are hard to read, and cutting it the wrong way can drop it onto the next thing. Jersey City has seen what storms can do: Superstorm Sandy brought surge and severe wind in 2012, and New Jersey utilities reported more than 113,000 destroyed or damaged trees statewide.

The first few minutes

• Get people out of rooms under the damaged part of the tree
• Stay well away from any wire the tree touches, and assume every wire is live
• Report downed or damaged lines to PSE&G at 1-800-436-7734
• Do not try to cut a tree that is under tension or resting on a structure
• Take photos for your insurance company before anything is moved

Wires come first

If a tree is touching power lines, PSE&G has to make the lines safe before tree work can start. We do not cut within 10 feet of overhead lines. Once the utility has cleared or de-energized the lines, we can take the tree apart.

How we take apart a fallen tree

We start by reading where the tension is: which parts are holding weight, which are springing back, and what will move when a cut is made. Then the tree is reduced in small, controlled pieces, often with rigging or a crane to keep pieces from dropping onto the roof again. Once the weight is off the structure, the rest is cut up, chipped and hauled away.

Insurance

Many homeowner policies cover removing a tree that has fallen on a covered structure, though coverage varies. We give you a written, itemized quote and photos you can send to your insurer. Your policy and your adjuster decide what is covered.

Preparing before the next storm

The cheapest emergency is the one that does not happen. Before hurricane and nor'easter season, look for dead limbs over the house, trees with a new lean, cracks where large limbs meet the trunk, and trees growing into wires. Removing deadwood and problem limbs ahead of time costs far less than removing a tree from a roof, and it is planned work instead of a scramble.

Pricing during declared emergencies

New Jersey's price gouging law limits price increases of more than 10% during a declared state of emergency and for 30 days after it is declared, or longer if the Governor extends it. Our rates do not change after a storm.