La Crosse Tree Pros cuts storm-damaged and fallen trees off houses, garages, driveways, and fences in La Crosse, Onalaska, Holmen, West Salem, and La Crescent. After a summer thunderstorm or a December ice storm, wood on the house and the driveway comes off first, then hangers and split trunks. Call first, and we will tell you what we can do on site and when we can get there. The visit is still a free on-site estimate, and roof and siding repairs stay with your contractor and your insurer.
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After a storm, the order is people, access, then wood. What blocks the house and the driveway comes off first.
A tree on a roof is still loaded. Branches can be holding the trunk up, and cutting the wrong one first can drop more weight onto the rafters.
We rig the tree from above where we can, take it apart in pieces, and lift or lower each piece away from the structure. Tarping, roof repair, and the insurance claim go to your roofer and your insurer.
Trees down across a yard, a driveway, or a trail get cut into manageable lengths, and the brush gets chipped. A fallen trunk can still be under tension where it is pinned or bent, so the cut order matters.
If the root plate is still attached, the stump can spring back upright when the trunk is cut free, and we plan every cut with that in mind.
A hanger is a broken limb caught in the crown, held up by other branches or a strip of bark. These widowmakers can drop days after the storm, when the wind shifts or the bark tears. Stay out from under them.
We bring hangers down with a rope or cut the limb they rest on from a safe position, then check the rest of the crown for cracks before calling it clear.
When a tree tips over, the root plate comes up with a slab of soil and leaves a crater. Cutting the trunk off can let that plate drop back into the hole with real force.
We cut the trunk in a sequence that controls the plate, then deal with the stump and the hole. Soaked ground after heavy rain sets up uprooting, so a tree that tipped deserves a look at its neighbors.
Cleanup covers the wood: limbs across the lawn, brush piles, split trunks, and the small stuff scattered through beds and grass. Brush gets chipped, logs get loaded or stacked, and the yard gets raked.
Building damage, tarping, and restoration sit outside our work, so keep your insurer and a building contractor in the loop for those.
A tree across a fence or a car usually comes off in pieces from the top, with the last lengths lifted rather than rolled so the damage does not spread. Take photos for your insurer first.
Fences often need a panel or two cut free to get the trunk out. We note that before we start so the fence contractor knows what to expect.
Before anything else, we look for power, cable, and phone lines in the tree or on the ground. If a line is involved, the utility or 911 goes first, and we wait until it is cleared.
Driveways, doors, and walks come first so you can get in and out. Wood blocking the street or a neighbor's drive is next.
Trees on roofs, garages, fences, and cars come off in rigged pieces. Nothing gets rolled or dropped onto what is already damaged.
Hangers come down, split trunks get cut back, and brush is chipped. Full haul-off and stump grinding can be a second visit if the ground is soaked.
Call 911 if a line is down, sparking, or burning, then call the utility. For Xcel Energy, customer service is 1-800-895-4999. Treat every downed line as live and keep everyone well away from it and anything it touches. We do not work on or near energized lines. Once the utility has cleared the line, we can take the tree off the house or yard.
Yes. Photograph the tree, the roof, and any damage inside from a few angles, and write down the date and time. Insurers usually want that record before cleanup starts. Once the tree is stable, we can pause so you or your adjuster can document what it did.
Public trees are handled by La Crosse Forestry. Call them at 608-789-8679 and report where it fell. If the city tree damaged your house or car, photograph everything before it is moved. Any private trees that came down with it are ours to handle once the city clears its tree.
Not if the break happens from April through July. The DNR says that is when oak wilt spreads through fresh wounds, and it recommends sealing oak wounds right away in that window. A broken oak limb should be cut clean and the wound sealed soon after the storm. Breaks in fall and winter can wait for a scheduled visit.
Ready for a free tree service estimate?
Tell us which tree and what you need done. We will walk the site and send a written scope.
