Weekend storms left a path of damage throughout the parts of the Twin Cities, leaving the power out and downed trees across Minneapolis and other parts of the Twin Cities. In the state’s biggest city, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Public Works departments clean up public property, but it’s usually up to property owners to deal with downed trees, hanging limbs and other debris. Here’s how to know when a downed tree really is your problem, and what you should do about it.
Any storm damage such as downed trees, hanging branches or stumps on city streets or sidewalks are called boulevard street trees and are typically handled by the Park and Recreation Board and the city’s Public Works departments.
To report public damage, call 311 or the forestry line at 612-313-7710.
If a tree on your property falls on your property, it is your responsibility to clean it up. If a tree on your property falls onto public property — like the street or the sidewalk — the city is supposed to take care of it, but the remaining damage on your property is still your responsibility.
“We’ll clear back to the sidewalks,” said Dawn Sommers, a spokesperson for the Park and Recreation Board, “but people get confused sometimes as to why didn’t we take the whole tree. Well, our work goes up to the sidewalk.”
If a tree on public property falls onto your private property, the Park and Recreation Board or the city’s Public Works departments will remove that downed tree from your private property.
The city of Minneapolis collects yard waste weekly during yard waste season (usually April through November) at no additional cost. The city will only pick up yard waste that is set out in reusable containers, compostable bags or in bundles secured with string or twine. Each container must weigh less than 40 pounds. More information on yard waste pickup can be found here.
The city will not accept trees, stumps or branches longer than three feet or wider than three inches. If you have large yard waste or if the debris is in a tree or on a roof, it’s best to call a professional.
“As soon as you have to take your feet off the ground to handle it, the danger goes way up.” said Michael Van Dyken, an arborist representative at Bartlett Tree Experts in the metro area. If the debris interacts with electrical wires in any way, it’s best to loop in both tree professionals and your energy provider, Van Dyken said.
Make sure to ask if your tree professional is registered with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and has insurance. Resources on how to find reliable services can be found here.
Bartlett Tree Experts, who serve the metro area, have recently had to turn away potential customers in favor of regulars. Van Dyken said that’s not uncommon in this field of work.
“People that never worked with tree care companies are gonna have a harder time finding somebody to help them than if you have us out regularly to maintain their trees,” Van Dyken said.
He cautioned that it’s not a good idea to make decisions out of desperation, and beware of opportunistic players that swoop in after storms. “If they’re walking down the street knocking on doors, that can be a red flag.” Van Dyken said.