Summary:
Why DIY Tree Removal Puts Suffolk County Homeowners at Risk
Every year, an average of 80 people die from tree care accidents in the United States, with another 36,000 people injured in chainsaw accidents alone. These aren’t just statistics—they represent real people who thought they could handle tree removal themselves.
Tree removal is a dangerous and complex task that requires expertise, and it’s essential to recognize that it’s not a DIY project. The tools are powerful, the physics are complicated, and the margin for error is basically zero.
In Suffolk County, where we deal with everything from nor’easters to hurricane-force winds, trees face unique stresses that make them even more unpredictable when you’re trying to remove them.
Chainsaw Kickback: The Leading Cause of DIY Tree Removal Injuries
Chainsaws are very powerful and dangerous tools that can be very unpredictable, and even the slightest contact with a moving chain can cause serious injury. The most common and dangerous issue is something called “kickback.”
Kickback happens when inexperienced operators incorrectly cut into wood, allowing the tip of the bar to be pinched, causing the saw to rapidly lunge back toward the operator. Kickback is the leading cause of chainsaw injury.
But chainsaws aren’t the only dangerous equipment involved. Using wrong or faulty tools—such as dull chainsaws, pruners, or axes—can cause serious accidents, and it’s easy to lose balance if your tools are dull. We invest in high-quality, properly maintained equipment and know how to use it safely.
Proper safety gear includes harnesses, hard hats, safety glasses, safety gloves, and chainsaw pants that jam chainsaws and protect your legs. But with the amount of money you’d need to spend on the right equipment and gear, you’re better off hiring professionals.
Even with all the right gear, there’s no substitute for experience. Safely cutting down a tree with a chainsaw takes practice. You need to consider the angles of the cut, weight distribution, and insertion of the bar into the tree, while maintaining complete control over the chainsaw at all times.
Falls and Ladder Accidents: Why Height Makes Everything Worse
Many DIY tree trimmers run serious risks when they climb trees and ladders, and even falling from a small height can cause serious injury or death. This is especially true when you’re dealing with the larger trees common in Suffolk County.
If you need to use a ladder to remove limbs off your tree, then the tree is too large for you to remove safely. Climbing a ladder with a chainsaw in hand is extremely dangerous for a number of reasons. You could lose control of the chainsaw, lose your balance, or fall off the ladder entirely.
Misplacement of ladders on uneven ground and using the wrong type of ladder can cause problems. If you aren’t at the proper height—the ladder doesn’t extend at least three feet past the branch—large branches can over-leverage you, causing the branch to rise above the ladder when you cut it off and possibly pull you off the ladder.
People can be hurt when a supporting branch breaks and causes them to fall to the ground. Human error often causes safety equipment to fail. One man accidentally cut through his safety line while sawing a branch and fell 50 feet to his death after leaning back to take a rest.
We have the training, experience, and proper equipment to work safely at height. We understand tree physics, have backup safety systems, and know how to position ourselves and our equipment to minimize risk.
The Financial Reality: When DIY Tree Removal Costs More Than Professional Service
Dangerous trees can inflict significant harm on your property, including your house, automobiles, and other buildings and structures. A tree that topples down in the midst of a storm or strong winds can result in damage worth thousands of dollars.
But here’s what most homeowners don’t realize: the damage from a botched DIY removal can be even more expensive than storm damage. A miscalculation can cause the tree to fall in the wrong direction and risk damaging property and causing injuries.
Property damage is a major financial risk of DIY tree removal. If you can’t predict where the tree will fall, you’re taking the risk of having it fall on your car, house, or neighbor’s property.
Insurance Won't Cover Your DIY Mistakes
Here’s where DIY tree removal gets really expensive. Homeowners insurance generally does not cover the cost of preventive tree removal because it’s considered regular maintenance. But more importantly, if you attempt removal yourself and cause damage, you might not be covered at all.
If you know that a tree is dead, rotted, or otherwise compromised and poses a threat to your neighbor’s home, but you don’t remove the tree, you may be found negligent. Your neighbor could sue you, and your insurance company may not cover the damages if you have failed to maintain the tree.
Homeowners policies may not cover damage caused by a tree that falls due to rot or age—things that timely maintenance could have prevented. Damage caused by fallen trees that were not removed due to property owner negligence may not be covered by your policy.
Most homeowners policies will cover both the costs of removing the tree and some damages it has made to your property—but only if the tree falls due to a covered peril like a storm, not due to your DIY removal attempt gone wrong.
We carry our own insurance, which protects both you and us if something goes wrong during the removal process. This is coverage you simply don’t have when you attempt the job yourself.
The Hidden Costs That Make Professional Service a Better Deal
In many cases, the cost of professional removal may be less expensive than your home insurance deductible. For instance, if your home insurance deductible is $1,500 and we quote a medium-sized tree’s removal at $600 to $1,000, you could save $500 to $900 by hiring us.
Tree removal costs vary based on size of tree, urban density, dangers involved, and crew members required for the removal. In Suffolk County, tree removal costs typically range from $561 to $647 for different tree types, depending on the complexity of the job.
When you factor in the cost of renting or buying proper equipment, the time investment, and the risk of property damage or injury, professional tree removal often costs less than DIY attempts. We can save you time and money in the long run.
The longer you wait to remove a hazardous tree, the more it will cost, and expedited emergency services may come at a premium price. It’s better to address the problem proactively with professional help than to wait until it becomes an emergency.
Why Professional Tree Service Protects Your Investment
We have the necessary training, equipment, and experience to handle tree removals safely and efficiently. Tree removal involves more than just cutting down a tree; it requires careful planning to avoid damage to nearby structures, vehicles, and landscapes, using specialized equipment such as cranes, ropes, and chainsaws.
We have the expertise to assess the tree and determine the best course of action. We can identify potential hazards, such as power lines, nearby structures, or unstable ground, and take the necessary precautions to ensure safety.
The peace of mind alone is worth the investment. You’re not just paying for tree removal—you’re paying for expertise, proper equipment, insurance coverage, and the confidence that the job will be done safely and correctly the first time.
When you need reliable tree removal in Suffolk County, Miguel’s Tree Service brings 15 years of local experience and the expertise to handle any tree removal challenge safely and efficiently.
