June Pre-Hurricane Tree Walk: 12-Point Tallahassee Homeowner Checklist

Tallahassee homeowners ask the same question every June: which of my trees is going to come down in a Helene-class event, and what can I actually do about it before the cone shows up? This is the 12-point walk our ISA-certified arborists run in May and June — the same checklist we use on free pre-season assessments. Run it yourself first; the trees that fail the walk are the ones to call about.

The 12 Points

1. Lean against the prevailing wind. Walk to each mature tree and check whether the trunk leans toward the house. Trees leaning toward a structure with a saturated soil base are the highest-priority risk.
2. Root plate movement. Look for cracked soil or heaved turf at the base. Any visible disturbance means the root plate has already started to lift.
3. Co-dominant stems with included bark. Trees with two trunks of similar size meeting in a tight V-union are split-prone in wind. ANSI A300 calls these out for structural pruning or cabling.
4. Dead branches in the canopy. Anything dead is a projectile. Remove before the season.
5. Hangers from prior storms. Broken branches caught in the canopy from last season’s storms drop in the next one.
6. Hollow trunks or cavities. Knock on the trunk — hollow sound on a large tree is a TRAQ-level concern.
7. Fungal fruiting bodies. Mushrooms or shelf fungus at the base or on the trunk indicate active decay.
8. Bark loss or wounds. Lightning scars, mower damage, or large pruning wounds are entry points for decay.
9. Species check. Laurel oak and water oak over 24-inch DBH are highest-risk Tallahassee species.
10. Distance to structure. Any tree over 40 ft within 1.5x its height of a structure is in striking range.
11. Power line proximity. Lines crossing tree canopy are a utility-coordination issue, not a homeowner DIY.
12. Photograph everything. The before-storm photo is your insurance claim leverage.

What To Do With The Findings

Anything that scored a yes on points 1–7 gets called out for an ISA-certified arborist inspection. The arborist will give you a written TRAQ assessment for $200–$400 (see the Tallahassee Arborist Cost guide) and a written recommendation — remove, prune, cable, or monitor.

For pricing on any of those follow-up actions, see the Tallahassee Tree Service Cost Guide.

For the full hurricane season prep framework (30/14/3/1-day countdown, during-storm safety, post-storm triage, and insurance claim mechanics), see the Tallahassee Hurricane Tree Prep Hub.

Call (850) 820-2166 to schedule the pre-season inspection.