You can be liable by the damage caused by a tree on your property if there are signs of negligence on your part - - for example, if the tree was diseased and you did not care for it. The past few seasons have shown what havoc nature can play in our lives. Most of us take extra precautions to protect our belongings and secure our living area. Trees are worst hit by most of these storms. This happens because they rarely have a chance to fight the fury of nature, which can cause additional damage to life and property surrounding the trees. Trees have a brighter chance of survival if they receive proper care and protection.

Make sure your trees are healthy and have been checked for any damage or internal faults, such as hollows, rotting and cracks. Look at your trees for the following warning signs, structural weakness or other hazards:

  • Wires in contact with tree branches. Trees may become energized when they are contacted by electric wires.

  • Dead or partially attached limbs hung up in the higher branches that could fall and cause damage or injury..

  • Cracked stem and branch forks that could cause catastrophic failure of a tree section.

  • Hollow or decayed areas on the trunk or main limbs, or mushrooms growing from the bark that indicate a decayed and weakened stem..

  • Peeling bark or gaping wounds in the trunk also indicate structural weakness.

  • Fallen or uprooted trees putting pressure on other trees beneath them.

  • Tight, V-shaped forks which are much more prone to failure than open U-shaped ones.

  • Heaving soil at the tree base is a potential indicator of an unsound root system.