Below are a list of steps for evaluating the amount of damage to your tree and the steps to follow to mitigate the damage. Overall appearance   Does the tree appear damaged?   Which areas of the tree seem to have sustained the most damage? Branches       Trunk       Roots       Whole Tree/Tree decline       Branches Branches allow trees to make food for themselves by supporting and growing the leaves that photosynthesize. Broken, twisted or cracked branches will not allow for healthy leaf development and will limit the tree's ability to thrive. The thing to remember about branch damage is this: Having 25-33% of the branches damaged is the equivalent of a person skipping lunch every day for the rest of his or her life!   Look for broken, cracked or twisted branches. Twisted branches will often have bulged areas at the point of the twist or will have odd angles. Cracks often run along the length of the branch and at an angle from the ground.   What percentage of the crown has broken, twisted or cracked branches? To figure the percentage damaged, look at each damaged branch and decide where the closest fork is in the undamaged portion. On the picture below, the damaged portion is approximately 3/4 the length of the branch, but it will have to be pruned much further back, meaning that a much larger portion of the crown is lost. The percentage should be based on the total amount of branches that will have to be pruned, NOT just the portion damaged.   Percentage of damage and recommended maintenance % of Branches Damaged Recommended Maintenance Likelihood of surviving 25% or less Prune High 25-50% Prune and monitor Moderate 50% or more Remove and replant Low Trees with 50% or more of the branches damaged may survive, but they pose a risk of hazards and misshapen growth. The question is: Will It Survive and Thrive?.   Are there hanging branches, branches that are caught on other branches? Hanging branches pose a substantial risk of falling and should be removed immediately. Trunk The trunk is the main support structure for the tree, allowing it to stay standing while supporting hundreds of pounds of wood in the crown. Trunk damage is often a more substantial problem than branch or root damage because the tree only has one trunk. Damage to the trunk not only puts the tree at risk of dying but also creates a safety hazard for people and property.   Look for broken, twisted, cracked or bent portions of the trunk. Twisted trunks can be identified by spiraling bark or odd angles to the trunk. Cracked trunks will usually be vertical and often wood is visible. Pay special attention to forks and where large branches meet the trunk.   Look for stripped bark, places where the wind or debris has torn the bark partially        or completely off the trunk.   If the tree could have been hit by lightning, look for visible wood, particularly wood        that looks splintered and detached.   Damage and recommended maintenance trunk. Trunk damage Recommended Maintenance Likelihood of surviving Broken Remove and replant Low Twisted - young tree Stake and monitor Moderate Cracked Remove and replant Low to moderate** Cracked - historic or highly valuable tree Contact a professional arborist or urban forester Low to moderate** Bent - young tree Stake and monitor High Bent - mature tree Stake and monitor Moderate Stripped bark See below - Wood fiber detachment Remove and replant Low ** While a tree with a cracked trunk has a low to moderate potential to survive, it will always pose a risk of failure (see Will It Survive and Thrive). This is why removal and replanting is recommended. Before you decide to keep a tree with a cracked trunk, contact a professional arborist or urban forester to determine how much risk the tree poses (see Who Do I Contact?).   Stripped bark % of Stripped Bark Recommended Maintenance Likelihood of surviving 25% or less Trim the bark High 25-50% Trim the bark and monitor Moderate 50% or more Remove and replant Low There is a special case of stripped bark called girdling. A girdled tree has its bark removed all the way around the trunk in a continuous ring and this missing bark makes it impossible for the tree to transport water and food. If the stripped bark is actually girdling the tree, the tree should be removed. Roots Roots provide two main functions for trees: anchoring support and absorption of nutrients, water and oxygen. As with branches, roots are a redundant system with multiple roots that can serve the same function. If a section of the roots is damaged, the tree can still function fairly well. The challenge with evaluating root damage is accurately deciding just how much damage there is. As with branch damage: Having 25-33% of the roots damaged is the equivalent of a person skipping lunch every day for the rest of his or her life!   Look for broken or crushed roots and exposed root ends. These types of damage       often result in root failure.   What percentage of the roots are broken or crushed and exposed at the ends? Estimate based on the percentage of ground surface that appears damaged, knowing that the roots may extend twice as wide as the branches. For instance, a tree with branches 40 feet wide may have roots that run 80 feet from the trunk of the tree. Take your percentage of damaged roots and double it. This will account for damage you can't see and for damage that is deep inside the ground. % of Roots Damaged (After you double the visual estimate) Recommended Maintenance Likelihood of surviving 25% or less Prune the exposed roots and monitor High 25-50% Remove and replant Moderate 50% or more Remove and replant Low   Look for trees that lean following the storm. This is usually an indication of root       damage.   How much does the tree lean? Did the tree lean before the storm? Has the lean increased substantially? Amount of Lean Recommended Maintenance Likelihood of surviving 15 degrees or less - young tree Stake and monitor Moderate to high 15 degrees or less - mature tree Monitor Moderate 15-30 degrees Contact a professional urban forester or arborist Low to moderate 30 degrees or more Remove Very low   Look for erosion, for exposed roots that otherwise look healthy.       These areas should be mulched, and the tree monitored.   Root suffocation is very difficult to see. The main hallmarks are: A fetid, rotten smell coming from the ground as the roots rot General tree decline Whole Tree/Tree Decline Whole tree damage or tree decline is a condition in which various portions of the tree are affected, and the tree appears weak. Decline is a general condition that can not be attributed to a single, identifiable location of external damage, insects or diseases. Once trees begin to decline, they may survive for many years but their growth is stunted, they are misshapen or off-colored and they are often unattractive.   Branch characteristics of decline Stunted growth Branches dying from the ends without being damaged by a storm   Leaf characteristics Defoliation - total or partial loss of leaves Odd coloring of leaves, particularly yellowing or browning Misshapen leaves   Trunk characteristics Abnormal amounts of flaking bark Sprouts coming from the base of the tree, root sprouts Trunk rot - large fungus growing near the base of the tree   Root characteristics Broken, cut or crushed roots Fetid odor from root rot   Tree can not recover from decline. A tree that is in decline can continue to survive        for many years but will always have limited or abnormal growth and appearance.        In general, trees in decline should be removed and replaced. Don't delay your tree evaluation!! The tree's condition may worsen without prompt care. Bent or twisted branches may break because they were not pruned quickly. Small trees that were partially uprooted may not reattach their roots to the soil because they were not restaked. Increased chance of receiving poor service from a tree care company. Every community has a wealth of qualified professional tree care companies that will work with homeowners to address a damaged tree. However, storms tend to bring out untrained tree care workers, those that appear the day after the storm and are gone about the time homeowners' money runs out. If you have already evaluated your tree and know what damage it has received, you will know if you need to hire someone and you can effectively discuss care options with the provider. By properly evaluating your tree, not only will you quickly begin the process of correcting the damage, but also avoid being taken advantage of because you'll already know what your tree needs. Who Do I Contact Do-It-Yourself vs. Hiring a Professional Last Updated: