After a storm passes, a walk around your property from a safe distance can help you understand what happened to your trees before you contact a professional. What you notice can point toward different next steps, though a trained eye should confirm any conclusions.
Broken or hanging branches
Look for branches that are cracked, dangling, or resting in the canopy rather than on the ground. Smaller broken branches limited to one area often point toward pruning, while widespread breakage across a tree may call for a more thorough evaluation.
Changes near the base
From a distance, check whether the ground around the trunk looks disturbed, cracked, or lifted compared to before the storm. This kind of change is worth mentioning specifically, since it can indicate root movement rather than canopy damage alone.
A new or different lean
Note whether a tree appears to be leaning in a way it did not before, or more than it used to. A longstanding, unchanged lean is different information than one that appeared with the storm.
Split or cracked trunks
A visible split or crack running along the trunk, even without other obvious damage, is worth documenting and flagging separately, since trunk integrity affects the range of appropriate next steps.
Debris and dropped material
Fallen leaves, small twigs, and light debris are common after any storm and do not necessarily indicate a problem. Larger material on the ground is more informative when paired with what you observe in the canopy above.
What these observations are for
None of these signs alone determines what should happen next. They simply help you describe the situation accurately when you contact a professional. Sharing what you noticed during a request for storm damage tree service gives the evaluating arborist a useful starting point before they arrive.