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Expert: Get an unbiased arborist's opinion before taking trees down

By Jeff Parrott, WVPE

Posted April 3, 2025

Part of a tree is newly exposed after a branch has been sheared off during a storm.

Part of a tree is newly exposed after a branch has been sheared off during a storm. If you're unsure whether to remove the tree, a Purdue University expert advises getting an opinion from a licensed and certified arborist, one who does not also sell tree removal services. (Courtesy photo)

If you lost part of your tree in Sunday’s storm, you might be wondering whether to take the rest of it down to avoid it happening again. A Purdue University expert advises caution before making a decision.

There can be good reasons to remove the rest of the tree after part of it comes down during a storm. It might have fallen partly because it already had been weakened by disease or insects.

So says Mark Evans, a plant and soil science extension educator with Purdue Cooperative Extension in Elkhart County. To get an expert opinion, Evans recommends using the “Find an Arborist” tool on the Indiana Arborist Association’s website.

But Evans says to be careful. Many, if not most, certified and licensed arborists on the site are also for-profit tree removal companies. Evans recommends getting an opinion from an arborist who doesn’t offer tree removal.

"If the arborist says, well we also take trees down, I would say, well you're not taking the tree down. I will get somebody else but I want your opinion," Evans said.

Such an arborist will charge a fee. Evans recommends keeping records of their assessment of the tree. That can protect you from liability in the future if they say the tree is healthy but it later falls and causes injury or property damage.

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