NEW ORLEANS, LA – October 06, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –

With the Atlantic hurricane season now at its midpoint, Big Easy Tree Cutting has published a homeowner guide on assessing storm-damaged trees, centered on a distinction the company says drives most post-storm mistakes: telling cosmetic damage apart from structural failure in a tree that is still standing.

That distinction carries consequences in both directions. Trees that appear battered are often removed unnecessarily, while trees that appear intact can carry hidden damage that makes them a hazard during the next system to come through. The guide runs from June through November, the span of the Atlantic hurricane season, as a window in which the same tree may be assessed more than once.

Safety governs the opening section, which instructs homeowners to inspect through a window before stepping outside. Downed conductors may lie across ground, fences, or branches, and a wire that looks slack or cold can still carry a lethal charge. Where any part of a tree contacts a utility line, the guide directs homeowners to remain indoors and contact Entergy Louisiana rather than attempt to move branches. Saturated soil is treated as a second hazard, since root systems can shift beneath a tree that still looks upright.

The visual assessment that follows is conducted from 20 to 30 feet away, using binoculars or a phone camera’s zoom, with the tree’s overall silhouette examined before anything closer. The guide lists a new or increased lean, large broken branches still lodged in the canopy, significant crown loss, splitting where two major trunks or limbs diverge, and soil heaving or mounding at the trunk base as the signals that warrant attention. It recommends photographing observations before approaching, both as documentation for a homeowner’s insurance claim and as context for an arborist arriving later.

On the central question, the company draws firm lines. Cosmetic damage covers surface bark scrapes, minor branch loss, and leaf stripping, and bark wounds affecting less than 25 percent of trunk circumference generally heal over time. Structural damage is defined by split crotches, which cost a tree a primary load-bearing connection and represent one of the most common failure points in mature oaks and pecans after high winds; heartwood exposure, which compromises the vascular system and invites rot in humid conditions; root heaving, where upward-pushed soil signals a shifted root plate and a tree that may topple without further wind; a new lean, with anything beyond 15 to 20 degrees from vertical generally considered a removal candidate; and long vertical trunk cracks.

Crown loss percentage is presented as the most reliable recovery indicator. A tree losing less than 25 percent of its canopy can typically recover with proper pruning. Losses above 50 percent sharply reduce a tree’s capacity to photosynthesize and generate the energy required for healing, and combined with root or trunk injury generally make removal the outcome. Species factors in as well: native live oaks and bald cypresses are adapted to wind and flood stress, while faster-growing ornamentals such as Bradford pears and silver maples carry weaker wood structure and recover less often from major damage.

The guide closes on when to stop and call a certified arborist: limbs near or touching utility lines, broken limbs suspended overhead, work requiring a chainsaw or ladder, root heaving or trunk lean, or a tree overhanging a roof, fence, or neighboring property. Big Easy Tree Cutting provides tree trimming, tree removal, emergency tree trimming, crown reduction, stump grinding, fertilization, and construction permitting and offers free estimates for storm-damage assessment.

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For more information about Big Easy Tree Cutting, contact the company here:

Big Easy Tree Cutting
Pamela McCullough
504-732-9714
info@bigeasytreecutting.com
New Orleans, LA

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