What to Do When a Tree Falls on Your Property in Ireland

A fallen tree is one of those situations that feels more overwhelming than it actually is once you know what to do. Whether it came down in last night’s storm, fell quietly in the night, or you came home to find it across your garden, the steps that follow are the same.

This guide walks you through exactly what to do after a tree falls on your property in Ireland. What to check first, what not to touch, when to call your insurance company, and when to call a tree surgeon. If you are in Galway or Mayo and need someone out today, JB Garden Care provides emergency tree removal across Galway and Mayo seven days a week. Call us on +353 87 002 3533.

Step 1 — Make Sure Everyone Is Safe First

Before you do anything else, check that everyone in the house and garden is safe and accounted for. If anyone has been injured, call 999 or 112 immediately.

Once you know everyone is safe, stay away from the fallen tree until you have assessed the situation properly. Do not go near it, do not try to move it, and do not let children or pets anywhere close to it. Here is why that matters.

Check for Power Lines

This is the most important immediate check. If the fallen tree is touching or close to overhead power lines, treat the entire area as live and dangerous. Do not approach the tree. Do not touch anything that is in contact with it including fences, gates, or other structures. Contact ESB Networks immediately on 1800 372 999, which is their 24-hour emergency line. Only ESB Networks can make the area safe when power lines are involved. Tree surgeons, including JB Garden Care, cannot begin work until the power has been confirmed as isolated by ESB.

Check for Gas Lines

If roots have come up as part of the fall, there is a risk of damage to underground gas pipes. If you smell gas or suspect underground pipes may have been affected, leave the area, do not use any switches or phones inside the building, and call Gas Networks Ireland on 1800 20 50 50.

Check for Structural Damage to Your Home

If the tree has come down on or against your house, garage, or any other structure, do not go inside until you are confident the building is structurally safe. A tree resting against a roof or wall may be partially supporting damaged elements that could collapse if the tree is removed without proper planning. If you are in any doubt about the structural integrity of the building, contact your local authority or a structural engineer before entering.

Step 2 — Document Everything Before Touching Anything

Once you are confident the area is safe to approach, take photographs and video of everything before any clearing work begins. This is important for two reasons.

First, your insurance company will need evidence of the damage and how it occurred. Clear photographs taken before any work starts give your claim the strongest possible foundation. Take photos from multiple angles, photograph the base of the tree where it came down, photograph any damage to structures, fences, walls, vehicles, or the garden, and note the date and time on any photographs if your phone does not do this automatically.

Second, a good tree surgeon will want to see the full picture of how the tree came down before deciding the safest approach to removal. If the root ball has come up, if the trunk has split, or if part of the tree is still suspended in another tree, all of these affect how the removal is planned.

Step 3 — Call Your Insurance Company

Contact your home insurance company as soon as you have documented the damage. Most home insurance policies in Ireland cover damage caused by a fallen tree to structures on your property, including your house, garage, garden walls, and fences. Whether the tree was your own or a neighbour’s tree that fell onto your property, the damage to your property is generally covered under your own policy.

What Home Insurance Typically Covers

Damage to the house, roof, or outbuildings caused by the fallen tree is typically covered as storm damage under the buildings section of a standard Irish home insurance policy. Damage to garden walls, fences, and gates is often covered. Damage to a vehicle in the driveway may be covered under comprehensive car insurance rather than home insurance.

What Home Insurance Typically Does Not Cover

The cost of removing the tree itself is often not fully covered unless it has caused structural damage. A tree that has fallen in the garden without hitting anything may not be covered for removal costs at all. Check your policy wording carefully and ask your insurer directly before assuming the full clearance cost will be paid.

Whose Insurance Pays If It Was a Neighbour’s Tree?

This is one of the most common questions asked after a tree falls in Ireland. In most cases, even if the tree came from a neighbour’s garden, the damage to your property is claimed through your own insurance. Your insurer may then pursue a claim against your neighbour’s insurance if there is evidence that the tree was known to be diseased, dead, or dangerous and the neighbour failed to act on it. If the tree was healthy and fell due to storm conditions, your neighbour is generally not liable for the damage it caused to your property.

Step 4 — Call a Professional Tree Surgeon

Once the immediate safety checks are done and you have contacted your insurer, the next call is to a professional tree surgeon. Do not attempt to clear a fallen tree yourself, particularly if it is large, if part of it is still in another tree, if the roots have created a large hole in the ground, or if it is resting on or against any structure.

Why You Should Not Clear It Yourself

A fallen tree under tension is one of the most dangerous situations in tree work. When a large tree comes down, parts of the trunk and branches are often under significant compression or tension from the way the tree has landed. Cutting into the wrong section releases that tension suddenly and violently. People are seriously injured every year in Ireland attempting to clear fallen trees without understanding how to read the tension in the wood. This is not a job for a chainsaw and a willing neighbour.

What a Professional Tree Surgeon Does

A qualified tree surgeon assesses the situation before any cuts are made. They identify which sections of the tree are under tension and in which direction, plan the sequence of cuts to release tension safely, use appropriate rigging and equipment to control how sections move as they are cut, and clear all material safely from the site.

JB Garden Care provides emergency tree removal across Galway and Mayo seven days a week including weekends and bank holidays. Our team responds to fallen tree situations across Galway City, Salthill, Knocknacarra, Oranmore, Athenry, Moycullen, Castlebar, Westport, and all surrounding areas in both counties. All work is carried out by experienced professionals with full public liability insurance. Call us on +353 87 002 3533.

Step 5 — Make the Area Temporarily Safe While You Wait

If there is going to be a delay before a tree surgeon can attend and the fallen tree is in a location where people or vehicles could be at risk, take reasonable steps to mark or cordon off the hazard area. Use whatever is available to you — garden canes, rope, cones if you have them — to make it clear to anyone approaching that the area is not safe to enter. If the tree is blocking a public road or footpath, contact your local authority and An Garda Siochana as it is a public safety matter.

What Happens After the Tree Is Removed

The Stump

After the tree has been cleared, a stump will remain at the base. The stump can be left if it is in an out of the way location and you have no plans for the area. If you want the space clear for replanting, lawn, or hard landscaping, stump grinding is the most practical removal method. JB Garden Care provides stump grinding across Galway and Mayo and it can often be done on the same visit as the tree removal to save a second call-out.

Filling the Root Hole

When a large tree falls and the roots come up, it leaves a significant hole in the ground. This should be filled and compacted properly rather than left. Depending on the location, the void can be filled with the removed root ball material, topsoil, or a combination of both. A hollow left unfilled settles unevenly over time and can become a hazard.

Your Garden After Clearance

Once the tree and stump are gone, the cleared area will often need some attention. If the fall has damaged lawn areas or borders, garden maintenance from JB Garden Care can help restore the garden to a good standard after the clearance work is complete. We regularly follow up tree removal jobs with garden restoration work across Galway and Mayo.

If the Tree Has Not Fallen Yet but Looks Dangerous

If you have a tree on your property that you are concerned about, do not wait for it to fall before acting. Signs that a tree may be at risk of falling include visible cracks or splits in the trunk, large deadwood in the canopy, fungal growth at the base of the trunk, a root plate that appears to be lifting on one side, or a significant lean that has developed recently.

JB Garden Care provides free site visits and honest assessments of trees across Galway and Mayo. If we think a tree is a genuine risk, we will tell you. If we think it is fine and just needs some maintenance, we will tell you that too. You do not need to commit to any work to get an honest assessment of whether your tree is safe.