Walk your yard and look up before the wind does.
El Niño winters bring strong wind on soaked ground, when roots let go and weak limbs come down. Ten minutes with your trees now tells you whether to call an arborist, your utility, or no one.
Tree walk
- What it is
- A guided checklist of the warning signs arborists look for, which you can check from the ground.
- Why it’s here
- Trees and limbs falling on homes, cars and power lines cause much of the damage in Sacramento’s winter storms, and most failing trees show signs first.
- What it helps with
- Deciding whether to book a certified arborist, report a branch on a line to your utility, or just walk the yard again after the next storm.
- How to use it
- Walk around each big tree near your home, cars or lines. Answer Yes or No for each sign. Your answers stay on this device; save the result to your 95821 page so your step list updates.
What do you see?
Loading the tree walk…
Hiring a certified arborist
- Look for ISA or ASCA certification. ISA’s “Find an Arborist” search on TreesAreGood.org lists certified arborists and lets you verify a credential.
- In California, check the contractor’s license on the CSLB website before tree removal or major work, and ask for proof of insurance.
- Get the diagnosis and the price in writing, and a second opinion before removing a healthy-looking tree.
- Be wary of anyone who offers to “top” a tree or knocks on doors right after a storm.
- Park away from big trees and power lines when wind is in the forecast.
- Stay clear of downed lines. Treat every one as live. Call 911, then your utility.
- A tree on your house: get everyone out of that part of the house, then call your insurer. Damage from a fallen tree is generally covered by a standard homeowners policy, and damage to a car by the comprehensive part of an auto policy.
- Walk the yard again once it’s calm. Storms leave cracked limbs hanging that fall days later.
Wet soil loosens the root plate, so a tree that rode out a dry windstorm can tip over in a weaker wind after a week of rain. Brace Engine counts this: on your ZIP page, the same gusts score higher for falling trees when the ground is soaked.
The first breezy days after a long dry spell also shake loose dead branches that built up over the summer.
Branch on a line: SMUD, 1-888-456-7683. Downed or sparking line: 911 first.
Tree or limb blocking a county road (unincorporated areas like Arden-Arcade): Sacramento County 311, or 916-875-4311, 24 hours a day.
Trees on your property are yours to care for. Trees in the road right-of-way are maintained by SacDOT. Inside the City of Sacramento, call the city’s 311.
- UC ANR: Trees for hazard assessment (warning signs, when to call an arborist)
- ISA TreesAreGood.org: Find and verify an arborist
- Contractors State License Board: Check a license
- Sacramento County SacDOT: Trees and landscape maintenance, report via 311
- SMUD: Equipment and power line safety
- California Department of Insurance: Coverage for storm damage to cars and fallen trees
Checked October 19, 2026.