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What is tree removal insurance?

Tree removal insurance is a set of commercial insurance coverages – usually packaged together as one policy – designed to protect arborists and tree service companies from potential lawsuits, property damage claims and other financial liabilities that could arise from their operations.

Working with trees involves significant risk – from falling branches to equipment malfunctions. That’s why personalized commercial insurance is essential if you want to ensure your business doesn’t suffer from any significant financial setbacks.

What tree removal insurance includes

A robust tree removal insurance policy typically includes several key coverages, especially these:

• Commercial general liability (CGL): This protects your business against claims of bodily injury or property damage to third parties. For example. if a tree branch falls on a client's car or a passerby is injured, this coverage handles legal defence costs and potential settlements. This is also sometimes known as ‘slip-and-fall’ coverage.
• Tools and equipment: Tools and equipment protection covers the cost to repair or replace your valuable equipment, like chainsaws, woodchippers and stump grinders, if they are lost, stolen or damaged.
• Commercial auto insurance: Covers vehicles used for hauling equipment and debris. Personal auto policies don’t apply to business use, making commercial auto insurance crucial to for a tree removal business. 

Recommended add-ons for tree removal insurance coverage

To enhance your protection, consider adding these valuable coverages to your policy:

• Commercial property: Covers your storage or office space from damage caused by fire, theft, vandalism or severe weather. This includes the content of the property, such as furniture and inventory.
• Business interruption: Often offered as an enhancement to your commercial property coverage, business interruption provides financial support to cover lost income and operating expenses if your business has to temporarily shut down due to a covered event, like a fire at your office.
• Pollution liability: This coverage safeguards your business against claims related to environmental damage, such as a fuel or oil spill from your equipment that contaminates soil or water.
• Professional liability: Protects you from claims of financial loss due to professional negligence, such as providing incorrect advice that leads to property damage.

Common types of tree removal insurance claims

Understanding the most frequent claims can help you manage your risks more effectively. Here are some of the most common claims filed in this field:

• Property damage: If a tree falls on your client’s house, severely damaging it, while you’re working on their property, you’d have to pay the repairs. In some cases, you might even be looking at legal action against you. Commercial general liability would supply you with the necessary funds to resolve the issue.
• Equipment theft: Your expensive, portable equipment gets stolen when you left it briefly unattended on-site. As a result, you have to pay buy new equipment, potentially losing all your profits from that job. That is, unless you have tools and equipment coverage, which would provide you with all the necessary funds.
• Incorrect advice: You examine a tree on your client property and determine that doesn’t need to be removed. However, two weeks later, it falls on the client’s house, damaging it. You are held liable. In this scenario, your professional liability protection would cover any legal fees that may arise.

How much does tree removal insurance cost?

The cost of tree removal insurance typically starts $500 per year for a small one-person business. However, these are estimates and the most reliable way to know what commercal insurance will cost is to get a quote. Premiums vary based on several factors specific to your operations and risk level (that aren’t related to business size alone).

Some of the biggest factors to influence your insurance cost include:

• Type of coverage: The more comprehensive your insurance policy is – meaning the more coverages you add to it – the more you’ll have to pay.
• Coverage amount: The lower your commercial insurance coverage limit, the less your insurance will cost you in premiums.
• Business size and revenue: A larger operation with more than one employee and higher annual revenue will generally have greater exposure to risk, and thus, higher costs.
• Location: Operating in densely populated urban areas, where there is more theft, can increase premiums, compared to rural locations. If your storage space is in an area prone to natural disasters, regardless of whether it’s an urban or rural area, this too can increase your premiums.
• Experience level: If you have a proven track record of successful tree removal, you’ll have an easier time negotiating your premiums down than someone who is just starting out.
• Claims history: This is something insurers track directly. The more insurance claims you have on your file, the likelier you are to file another one in the future. This higher likelihood translates to higher premiums.

How to get the cheapest tree removal insurance rates

Securing affordable tree removal insurance requires a proactive approach. Here are some things you can do:

• Bundle policies: Purchasing multiple types of insurance, like general liability and commercial auto, from the same provider and combining them within a single policy can qualify you for package discounts.
• Increase your deductible: Increasing your deductible – the amount you pay out of pocket on a claim – can lower your monthly premium. That’s because you assume greater risk to yourself in doing so.
• Maintain your equipment: Keep detailed service logs on all your equipment. Well-maintained equipment is less likely to fail and cause an accident, which can help lower your premiums.
• Maintain a good record: Prioritize safety and avoid preventable accidents. A history free of claims is one of the best ways to qualify for lower rates.