Prepare a storm-cleanup brief

Describe what has and has not been addressed

Start the brief with the current status. Is the tree standing, partly supported, already removed or lying on the property? Has a utility or emergency service been contacted? Has a professional assessed the remaining trees? Record what you know and keep an unanswered question labeled as unanswered.

Do not approach unstable material to improve the description. Photographs taken from a safe location can help a company understand the request, but they do not establish that a pile or tree is safe to handle. If danger may remain, request the appropriate response before treating the job as routine hauling.

Create an inventory of the material

List brush, larger wood, stump material and any mixed debris separately. Describe the general location and approximate extent only from a safe position. Avoid claiming a precise volume you have not measured, and ask whether the company needs a site visit before giving a final price.

Identify material you want to keep and the intended location. If you want wood retained, ask how it will be left and what handling is included. If you want the area cleared, say what “cleared” means in practical terms. A company needs to know whether the goal is usable access, removal of specified piles or a larger landscaping result.

Tell the company about building materials or other waste mixed with the brush. Do not hide those details in a general description of tree debris. The disposal route and price may depend on what is actually being collected.

Explain access and dependencies

Record gates, parking restrictions, shared routes and surfaces that need protection. If another contractor must finish tree work before hauling can begin, identify that dependency. Ask how a delayed first stage affects the cleanup booking and whether the company will confirm readiness before sending a crew.

Do not plan to move a heavy or unstable obstruction yourself to create access. Tell the company what blocks the route and ask what service is appropriate. Routine hauling should not silently expand into technical tree removal because the material is harder to reach than expected.

For neighboring or public land, resolve authorization before including it in the job. A storm does not make every pile visible from your property yours to commission work on. Keep the authorized work area clear in the proposal.

Choose a verified destination for each stream

If using a municipal program, check eligibility, scheduling, accepted material and set-out rules directly with the authority. Do this before the crew arranges a curbside pile. A collection schedule for a nearby address or a prior storm is not evidence that the same program applies now.

If using private hauling, ask where material will go, what documentation is provided if needed and whether all specified material is included. Keep any disease-related handling questions with the relevant professional. Do not move suspect wood to another property simply because it appears useful as firewood.

Record who is responsible for moving material to the accepted collection position. A municipal pickup may collect an eligible pile without including the work needed to create it. The brief should assign that earlier task explicitly.

Define a finish that can be checked

Write an end-state checklist: identified material removed or retained as agreed, access route left in the specified condition and any restoration exclusions recorded. Ask how additional material discovered during the job will be handled and how changes are authorized.

At handover, compare the completed work with the checklist from a safe place. Keep the itemized invoice, any change approvals and relevant photographs. If the cleanup relates to an insurance claim, obtain policy-specific documentation instructions from the insurer rather than assuming every charge will be reimbursed.

Return to the storm and fallen-tree field guide for the earlier hazard-routing and assessment stages. This brief organizes a later cleanup request; it does not certify that the tree situation has been made safe.

Add a rough debris volume to your brief