The method
How this tool reaches its answer
Storm calls are decided in seconds, and the order of the answers matters more than the tree. If a line is down, if someone is trapped, or if there is a smell of gas, a tree service is the wrong first call and this tool says so in plain words before it says anything else.
Once it is safe, the tree problem is a triage problem: which hazard is over a person, which is over property, and which is simply in the way. That is the order this assistant works in, and it is the order the crews work in at three in the morning.
It also tells you what not to do — never cut a limb that is touching or over a conductor, never walk a roof to reach a branch, never park under a leaning tree while you decide.
Who to call first
Rates and bands last reviewed October 2026 · coastal San Luis Obispo County market rates
| Situation | First call |
|---|---|
| Wires down, sparking, or touching a tree | 911, then the utility. Never approach the tree or the line. |
| Tree on a structure with an injured person | 911, then us. |
| Gas smell or a broken water line | 911 and the utility first. |
| Tree on a structure, nobody hurt | Us — 24/7 emergency line. |
| Tree across a driveway or access route | Us — this is our priority tier in a storm. |
| Broken or hanging limb above head height | Us — keep clear underneath until we arrive. |
Before you answer each screen
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Is anyone in danger
- A tree in contact with a conductor can be energised. Stay at least a bus length away and keep everybody else back.
- A smell of gas or a broken water line comes before the tree: leave the area first, then call 911 and the utility.
- Never cut a limb that is touching or over a power line, and never walk a roof to reach a branch.
- If you cannot currently stay well clear, leave the property and call from somewhere safe rather than watching.
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What has happened
- A tree on a house, a vehicle or an access route is our 24/7 priority tier, and it goes ahead of the scheduled work.
- A trunk split, cracked or uprooted is not a pruning job, and it can move further while you watch it.
- A broken or hanging limb above head height should be assumed to be able to fall — keep people, vehicles and pets from parking under it.
- Photograph it from a safe distance for your insurer before anything is moved.
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The building
- An occupied building with a tree still moving on it, or a roof that has deflected, means evacuate first and call 911.
- Do not enter a structure with a tree on the roof: the roof may already be compromised and the tree can keep settling.
- Leave the utilities to the utility — a damaged service drop is their call even when a tree caused it.
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What to do first
- The first item is always the one that stops someone being hurt rather than the one that is most visible from the window.
- Our emergency line answers 24/7, and hazards to people, homes, vehicles and access routes come first.
- What can wait until daylight is listed too, so you are not paying an emergency rate for tidying up.
What the tool cannot know
A browser cannot see a tree. Decay inside a trunk or a root plate, soil and drainage, hidden utilities, access and crane reach, permits, protected species and boundaries are confirmed on site or not at all — which is why every figure here is a range with its method beside it, and why the only price that binds anybody is a written one after a walk-through.