Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our planet today. And while many people care about becoming more environmentally friendly, others don’t care until climate change has affected their lives in some way or another. Trees dying in your yard is one of those things affecting many people.
Damage can occur to your home from tree branches falling or entire trunks collapsing on top of your roof. It can be costly to pay for tree removal, though. This may leave you wondering how you will pay to prevent tree damage on your property. Insurance coverage for tree removal varies depending on the company you go through.
Some insurance companies will cover a tree falling on your house due to a natural disaster like flooding or wind, but they won’t remove a tree that hasn’t fallen over. We’ll talk about some of the ways you can take care of the trees in your yard so they won’t be affected by climate change quite as much and, in turn, they won’t destroy your property.
What causes a tree to deteriorate?
One of the leading causes of climate change is the global increase in greenhouse gases. The heat trapped inside the atmosphere due to climate change increases the temperature in many places worldwide. This increase in heat makes it hard for trees and plants to grow and maintain their health.
When it gets too hot, trees wilt, and branches can weaken. The weak branches can fall on top of your home, causing much damage that many insurance companies don’t cover. Drought is not considered a natural disaster. Therefore insurance companies don’t accept claims on tree damage in these cases.
Helping your trees
This leads us to a discussion on how you can help your trees even when extreme weather conditions damage them due to climate change. Think about watering your trees more during the hot summer months. This will replace the loss of fluids they would usually get from the atmosphere during the non-summer months.
Talk to a gardening expert or professional about where to plant new trees in your yard, ones out of the general area of your house. This doesn’t solve the problems caused by trees already planted, but it will prevent any further risks to your home that trees could cause.
If you anticipate something bad could happen to your home due to a tree's location, think about pruning the tree. This is a happy medium between removing it and letting it entirely. Just like knowing where to plant new trees, you might not be able to prune without the help of a professional.
Hire a tree removal service
You may need to hire an arborist for properly pruning your trees for many reasons. You can save money by doing it yourself, but not getting the job done correctly can be expensive in the long run.
Arborists know where to cut the tree branches and whether any other branches on your trees threaten your home. They have the tools and equipment to get the pruning done efficiently. If you were to buy the equipment the arborists have, it would cost a lot of money, potentially more money than the cost of the arborist servicing your home.
Going to an arborist is costly, but there are a few ways to get discounts on your treatment. If you have many pruning jobs done at once, many companies will give you a better price than cutting down or pruning one tree or shrub at a time. It’s like when you get a better price for buying in bulk at the grocery store.
Insurance for tree damage
Regarding the insurance discussion, you can file a claim with your insurer if the tree damage to your home came from a flood or a wind storm. Insurance also works to pay for a neighbor’s trees falling into your yard or someone vandalizing your property.
A tree deteriorating due to the effects of climate change will typically not be covered by an insurance claim. The process of tree weathering is slow, and when the branches or the entire tree finally fall, it’s not caused by a specific event you could give to your insurer. That’s why it’s best to remove risky trees before they become problematic.
Move somewhere less affected by climate change
You may reach the point where you realize you don’t have the money to remove all of the trees in danger of falling on your property. This is when you must consider moving to a different home or perhaps an apartment without a yard or foliage. You can stay in the local area or consider moving to a state where climate change isn’t affecting your trees.
California is constantly affected by the increased heat, forest fires, and damage from climate change. If you’re tired of being around this destruction, moving out of California to a state, not in a drought is an option. Michigan, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Colorado are states that climate change experts have positively perceived.
Flooding, wildfires, droughts, and extreme heat are not as much of a problem in these states. This means trees won’t be damaged, and your home will be safer from hazards.
Educate others on climate change
We can protect our trees and wildlife from climate change by making minor environmental differences. Consider buying a hybrid vehicle or walking to your destination if it’s within reached. This will help to cut down on some of the emissions affecting the trees around our planet.
The more awareness there is about climate change, the more we can prevent disasters before they happen. Take an interest in how your behavior and lifestyle choices impact our world. This type of effort from many people in society will eventually change the climate for the better.
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