Trees and Insurance

Trees and Insurance

A survey to understand issues related to the insurance industry and urban canopy conflicts
The Urban and Community Forestry Society (UCFS) is seeking information from urban and community foresters in regard to tree and insurance issues.

Members have shared with us that private property owners are receiving notices from their insurance companies notifying them that they must prune or remove a tree or risk non-renewal on their insurance policy.

This survey is intended to better understand the scope of the issue on a nationwide perspective and potential impacts it could have on community tree canopy.

UCFS is working with its Industry Trends committee to monitor this issue and make decisions on any policy decisions or recommendations that may be warranted.

Results of this survey will help us better understand how different regions are experiencing this issue, draft policy statements on best practices for managing trees and insurance conflicts, and advocate on member's behalf.

Please provide your feedback by September 15, 2025.
Your information

You do not have to provide your personal information, but it may be helpful if we have additional questions about your experience.
First Name
Last name
Address

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip CodeCountry
Phone Number
Please enter a valid phone number.
Email
example@example.com
Your Area of Practice

Urban/Municipal/City ForesterResearch/educationNGO/non-profitCommercial tree careConsultingUtilityOther
Years of Experience

1-5 years6-10 years11-20 years21+ years
Can we reach out to you with additional questions?

YesNo
Tree and Insurance Conflicts Information
Have you experienced tree and insurance issues in your community? For example, homeowners being denied coverage due to trees on their property or the city being asked to remove public trees that overhang private property.

No, I have not heard of anythingI have heard of private property owners experiencing issuesOur city/county/government has had issues with insurance companies and public treesOther
How have you been hearing about insurance issues related to trees in your community?

Firsthand from the person/people involvedColleagueOffhand from someone in our communityElected officialsOther
If you've heard of insurance and tree issues, what was the reason stated by the insurance company for threatening cancelation or for the request to prune or remove a tree?

Structural failure (tree risk)MoldFireFlood/storm riskFoundation or similar damageOther
If an insurance company has requested pruning or removal of a tree, please share as much information about the tree as possible. Add additional rows to report on additional trees.
If known, what did the property owner do after receiving the notice or letter from the insurance company?
If you are experiencing issues with trees and insurance, what is the impact on your community? Are the trees being targeted high value or trees showing signs of decline? Is it impacting city planning or urban canopy growth goals? Any impact on tree preservation ordinances? Other?
If you are experiencing tree and insurance issues, how would you rate the impact to your urban forest?

1

2

3

4

5

1 is No implications, 5 is Major implications
Do you have more to share about your rating about the impact to your urban forest?
Anything else you'd like to add?
Insurance Letters

If you have copies of insurance non-renewal letters and are willing to share them, please upload here. The Industry Trends committee is working to compile a clearinghouse of correspondence from insurance companies to tree/property owners so that we can see what kind of notices people receive and any reasoning or recourse the insurance company provides. These will be held privately in UCFS’s drive and not shared with anyone outside the Committee. These letters will be used for information gathering purposes only.
Upload letters, correspondence, or any other pertinent document here.

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Trees and Insurance

Your information

Tree and Insurance Conflicts Information