A tree just came down in your yard. Here is what to do in the first hour, what cleanup usually costs, and how our crew handles the job.

Before Anyone Touches the Tree

• Stay clear of any tree touching a wire, and assume every line carries current.
• Report downed lines to Duke Energy at 800-769-3766. The utility repairs the line and restores power, but it leaves the tree debris on your property for you to handle.
• Photograph the trunk, the damage, and the root plate before anyone cuts. Your insurance adjuster will want those pictures.
• Stay off any trunk resting on a roof, a fence, or another tree. Wood under load can snap back with enough force to break bones.

Why So Many Trees Fall Here

Durham has a lot of trees. A 2017 canopy assessment by SavATree and the University of Vermont found that trees cover 52% of the city’s roughly 116 square miles, and the city now aims for 55% by 2040.

Much of that canopy is old. The city started planting street trees in 1937, and plenty of those willow oaks have reached the age where heartwood decay sets in. Add tall loblolly pines sitting in red clay, which turns slick after a week of rain, and one summer storm can drop trees across a whole block.

What Fallen Tree Removal Costs

HomeBlue’s 2026 cost guide for Durham lists these typical ranges for removal by tree height:

Tree height	Typical range
20 feet	$230 to $450
40 feet	$470 to $890
60 feet	$700 to $1,340
80 feet	$930 to $1,780

Stump grinding runs extra. HomeGuide puts it at $100 to $400 per stump in the area.

Here is where we disagree with some cost guides. HomeGuide says a fallen tree costs 2 to 3 times less to remove than a standing one. That holds when the trunk lies flat on open grass. A pine leaning on your roof works differently.

The wood holds tension and compression in places you cannot see, so we rig it with ropes and lower it in sections. That job can cost as much as a standing removal, sometimes more.

How We Clean It Up

We start by reading the load: which side of each limb sits in compression, and which side will spring when we cut. Pinned limbs come off first, then the trunk gets bucked into rounds with Stihl and Husqvarna saws. Brush goes through a Bandit chipper, and a Vermeer grinder takes the stump below grade if you want it gone.

You choose what stays: firewood rounds, a pile of mulch, or a bare yard.

Will Insurance Pay?

Often, yes, if the tree hit a covered structure during a storm. Policies usually exclude trees that fell because they were dead or neglected, and many cap removal payouts per tree. Check your declarations page, then call us.

We give you a written price before we start cutting.