During a major storm or in extreme weather conditions, your business property is at risk from damage. The main source of damage to your building following extreme weather is trees that can come crashing down on your property, breaking through windows, and otherwise causing undue damage to the property and contents inside. The storm itself can’t be prevented, but when you know about the many risks of tree damage, you can take steps to protecting your business.
Weather Conditions
There are a number of different weather conditions that can make the trees on your business property more likely to cause damage. One of these conditions is lightning. Trees tend to be the main target and when a tree is struck by lightning, it can actually explode some of the bark which gets thrown into nearby property, including through your store’s windows. Winter weather such as rain, snow, ice, and wind can weaken trees, which results in trees falling or breaking more easily. This means the next time there is a big windy storm, the tree is more likely to break or fall over on top of your business property. When the trees near your business property have eroded, from a drought or harsh winter with abundant rain, snow and ice, it is more likely to break off or fall over onto your property further increasing your damage risk.
Tree Damage Risks
There are different ways a tree can cause damage to your property. As mentioned earlier, the lightning can cause big chunks of bark to come torpedoing through your windows. Extreme weather conditions, such as heavy wind or hurricane winds, can cause a tree to break off and fall over onto your building. This breaks windows, messes with power lines, and causes damage to the building. Even a heavy rain can cause a leaning tree to lean closer to your building where the branches will scratch the pain and ruin the structure of your business property.
Recognizing Tree Risks
If you’re concerned about the trees near your business property, there are some things to look for to determine how big of a damage risk they pose. Aside from the following signs of potential tree damage, you should also be aware that rain isn’t the only thing to cause a tree to break off. When there is a drought, the stem and trunk dry out so that during the next rain season, it is eroded and breaks more easily. Other signs include:
- Hollowed or decayed trees
- Cracks in tree trunks or limbs
- Limbs coming in contact with power lines
- Tree branches hanging over the building’s roof
- Trees with an obvious lean
- Mushrooms growing from the bark; this indicated a weakened stem
- Branches crossing each other
You can’t always prevent tree damage and the risks involved, but you can protect your business assets with property insurance. Property insurance is a type of business insurance policy to protect against damage from extreme weather, including fallen trees. This means if damage is incurred, you won’t have to cover the costs from your own business bank account.
