Start with a Slow Walk Around the Tree

Before you touch a saw, put your hands in your pockets and walk a full circle around the tree. Storm damage rarely tells the whole story from one angle. What looks like a single snapped limb from the patio is often accompanied by a cracked fork on the far side, a split trunk, or a root plate that has lifted out of the soil. Give yourself five quiet minutes and look properly.

Ask yourself a few blunt questions. Is the trunk straight, or has it shifted off vertical since the last time you looked? Is there fresh soil heaving up on the windward side, or a gap opening where the lawn meets the base? Are there long vertical cracks in the bark, or a hollow drumming sound if you tap the trunk? Any of these suggest the tree has lost structural integrity, not just a branch. That is a job for a qualified arboriculturist with a chainsaw ticket and insurance, not a weekend project.

Look up as well as down. Assess which limbs are hanging by a thread, which are wedged in neighbouring branches, and which are resting on a shed roof or fence. Anything overhead that is still attached but broken is the most dangerous thing on site, because it can drop the moment you disturb it.

Treat Power Lines as Absolute Boundaries

In the UK, overhead lines are more common than many gardeners realise, particularly in rural areas and along older suburban streets. The rule is simple and it has no exceptions: never work within a distance where any part of the tree, your ladder, or your tools could reach a line. That includes lines you assume are telephone or broadband cables, because you cannot always tell from the ground.

• Stay well back from any branch touching or near a conductor. Electricity can travel through foliage, damp wood, and even a jet of water.
• Never use a pole saw, ladder, or pruning hook anywhere near overhead cables, even if the branch appears clear.
• Do not attempt to move a fallen branch that is in contact with a line, or that is lying across one. Keep everyone, including pets, away and call the network operator's emergency number.
• Remember that lines can be live and silent. There is no hum, no spark, and no warning before contact.

If the work genuinely requires access near conductors, your electricity distribution network operator will often isolate or sleeve the line for a scheduled job. It is a legitimate service, not a fuss, and it is free in many cases. Ring them before you plan anything.

Decide What You Can Safely Tackle

Not all storm damage needs a professional. Small branches, up to about the diameter of your wrist, that are lying on the ground or hanging low and clear of any structure are usually fair game for a confident gardener with the right kit. Beyond that, the risk climbs quickly.

Call in a professional if the damaged limb is above head height, if it is larger than your forearm, if it overhangs a building, greenhouse, car, or public footpath, if the tree is leaning, or if the trunk is split. There is also a legal dimension worth knowing. In the UK, you are generally responsible for trees on your land, and if a branch overhangs a neighbour's property, they may cut back to the boundary line but cannot enter your land or keep the timber without agreement. If the tree is protected by a Tree Preservation Order or sits in a conservation area, you may need consent before cutting, even for storm damage. Check with your local planning authority before the saw comes out.

Make Clean Cuts that the Tree Can Seal

Torn, ragged stubs are an open door for decay. The aim is a smooth cut that leaves the tree's own defensive tissues intact and lets it seal the wound over the coming seasons.

For a branch still attached, use the three-cut method, which prevents the weight of the limb tearing a strip of bark down the trunk as it falls:

• First cut: on the underside of the branch, a hand's width out from the trunk, cutting about a third of the way through.
• Second cut: from the top, slightly further out, until the branch drops. The first cut stops the bark tearing.
• Third cut: remove the remaining stub, cutting just outside the branch collar, the slight swelling where the branch meets the trunk.

Never cut flush against the trunk. That removes the collar, which is the tree's natural sealing zone, and leaves a large wound that heals poorly. Do not paint or seal the cut either, as this traps moisture and does more harm than good. If a stub is already torn, tidy it back to sound wood with a clean angled cut, but do not chase it deeper than necessary.

Work Methodically and Keep the Site Tidy

Clear a safe working zone before you start and keep children and pets well inside the house. Plan your escape route: know which way you will step the moment a limb moves. Keep both feet on the ground where possible, and if you must use a ladder, have someone foot it and never overreach sideways.

Remove timber in manageable sections rather than wrestling with a heavy limb. Stack cut wood away from the tree so you can see the base and check for further movement in the days after a storm. Trees often reveal a second weakness once the first load is gone.

Finally, give the tree time. A well-cut wound on a healthy tree will begin sealing within weeks, and a light feed in spring helps it recover. If you are in any doubt about stability, structure, or safety, one visit from a qualified arboriculturist is money well spent. Good tree care is mostly about patience and honest assessment, and there is no shame in knowing when to call someone in.