Tree emergencies do not keep business hours. A limb comes through the porch roof during a windstorm, a trunk splits under wet snow at midnight, or a root plate lifts and the whole tree settles against the house. Arbor Ridge Tree Service answers the phone 24 hours a day for urgent tree work across Buffalo and Erie County.
If a tree is down, hung up, or threatening a structure right now, call (716) 703-9002.
Before You Call: Stay Clear
A few minutes of caution matters more than anything we can do for you afterward.
- Treat every downed wire as live. If a tree is touching or near a power line, do not approach it, do not touch the tree, and do not move anything under it. Call 911 and your utility first. We will not work the tree until the line is confirmed de-energized.
- Leave the area under a hung-up limb. A branch caught in the canopy is holding stored energy and can release with no warning. Move cars and keep people and pets well outside the drop zone.
- Get out if the structure is compromised. If a tree is resting on the roof and you can see damage to the ceiling or walls inside, leave and call the fire department.
- Do not try to cut it yourself. Storm-damaged wood is under tension and compression in ways that are genuinely hard to read. Chainsaw injuries spike after every major storm, and a bound-up trunk can kick violently on the first cut.
- Photograph everything before anything is moved, from several angles. Your insurer will want it.
What Counts as an Emergency
- A tree or large limb resting on a house, garage, fence, or vehicle
- A tree blocking a driveway, walkway, or road
- Broken limbs hung up in the canopy over anywhere people walk
- A split trunk or a major failed union, with the tree still standing
- A tree that has shifted or begun leaning after a storm, with soil heaving at the base
- Storm damage that has left a tree structurally unsafe over an occupied space
A tree that is dead, ugly, or overdue for pruning is not an emergency — that is scheduled removal or trimming, and you will pay less for it on a normal schedule. If you are not sure which you have, call and describe it. We will tell you honestly.
Why Buffalo Generates So Much of This Work
Western New York stacks the deck against trees. Lake-effect events drop heavy, wet snow that loads a canopy far past what the same volume of dry powder would. Winter windstorms come off the lake with real force. Freeze-thaw cycling works water into existing cracks and opens them. And a large population of ash killed by emerald ash borer means a lot of standing dead wood that is brittle enough to fail in conditions a sound tree would shrug off.
The practical takeaway: most emergency calls we run were visible problems six months earlier. Our post on protecting your property after severe weather covers the aftermath, and tree health warning signs covers catching it early.
How We Respond
- You call. Tell us what happened, what it is on, and whether wires are involved.
- We triage. Life-safety and occupied-structure situations go first, and we tell you honestly when we can be there.
- We make it safe. The immediate hazard is stabilized or removed — weight off the structure, hung limbs brought down, access reopened.
- We document it. Photos of the damage and the work for your insurance claim.
- We finish the job. Remaining removal, cleanup, and chipping, scheduled once the emergency is handled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does homeowners insurance cover this?
Policies commonly cover tree removal when the tree has damaged a covered structure, and commonly do not when it simply fell in the yard. Coverage varies, so check with your carrier. Photograph everything before anything is moved and keep our written invoice — both help the claim.
My neighbor’s tree fell on my property. Whose problem is it?
Generally you deal with what lands on your property through your own insurer, with fault becoming a question only where the owner knew the tree was hazardous and did nothing. That is a legal and insurance matter rather than a tree one — we will clear it safely either way and give you documentation for whoever needs it.
Do you charge more at night or in a storm?
Emergency work carries different pricing than scheduled work, and we tell you that up front rather than at the end. No hidden fees is not a slogan we drop when the weather turns.
Related Reading
What to do after a storm · How 24/7 emergency removal protects your property · Storm damage tree service in Buffalo