Emergency Storm Tree Removal in Santa Rosa, CA

Emergency storm tree removal in Santa Rosa usually follows rain, not ice. Nearly all of the city's roughly 32 inches of yearly rain falls between fall and spring, and the big atmospheric river storms can drop several inches in a day or two. Clay and silt loam soils across the Santa Rosa Plain hold water, roots lose their grip, and a gusty front finishes the job. The trees that go over are often whole trees, root plate and all, rather than single limbs. Wide, evergreen canopies such as coast live oak, eucalyptus and redwood catch the most wind because they keep their leaves all winter.

What usually fails

After the late-December 2022 and January 2023 storms, more than 100 downed trees were reported across Sonoma Valley, most along creeks where saturated banks had eroded and roots weakened by years of drought gave way. Santa Rosa has the same setup along Santa Rosa, Brush, Matanzas and Piner creeks. Other common failures: trees with old fire scars, oaks with decay from sudden oak death, multi-trunk eucalyptus that split at a weak fork, and pines with root rot that finally tip over in soaked ground.

First steps after a tree comes down

If a tree has brought down a wire, stay back and call 911, then PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. Treat every wire as live. If no wires are involved and people are safe, take photos from several angles before anything moves; homeowners insurance may cover part of an emergency removal, and your insurer will want to see the damage as it was. Do not climb onto a roof under a tree or try to cut a trunk that is pinned or bent; stored tension can make a cut piece jump.

How a storm job is handled

Call (707) 385-5238 any time and leave the address, what came down and what it hit. We sort calls by danger: a tree through a roof, on an occupied car, or blocking the only way out of a house comes first. On site, the first job is making the tree stable, often by removing weight from the top or rigging the trunk before it is cut, so that it cannot roll or slide further. Pieces resting on a roof are lifted off with ropes or, for large trunks, a crane, rather than dragged across shingles. Once the hazard is gone, the rest of the cleanup can be scheduled.

After the emergency

A tree that tipped often leaves a crater and a root plate that will not settle back. Those can be ground down or backfilled as a separate step. We also look at the trees next to the one that fell: when one tree in a row goes, the others have lost their windbreak and may be next.