With the central Plains heading into the most active stretch of severe-storm and tornado season, Kansas City Tree Care is fielding a sharp increase in calls from homeowners looking to remove or trim hazardous trees before high winds, hail, and tornado activity peak. The family-owned, ISA-certified arborist firm is ramping up storm-preparation work across the Kansas City metro as homeowners act ahead of a season in which insurance carriers have raised premiums and tightened scrutiny on claims tied to known tree hazards.
May, June, and July produce the most intense severe weather of the year in the central United States, and the Kansas City metro sits near the heart of the corridor that records the highest concentration of tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail. National Weather Service forecasters have warned that severe weather in the Plains and Midwest has trended more active in recent years, with 2024 ranking among the most prolific tornado seasons on record.
Against that backdrop, homeowners are paying closer attention to the trees on their property. Dead limbs, decayed trunks, split crotches, and significant lean are common sources of storm-related damage in the region, capable of falling on homes, vehicles, fences, and power lines when sustained winds exceed 60 miles per hour. Removing a mature tree after it has come down on a structure routinely costs several times more than addressing the same tree in advance.
The financial calculus has been sharpened by changes in the homeowners insurance market. Major carriers have raised premiums and tightened underwriting across the Midwest in response to record severe-storm losses, and policyholders increasingly face claim disputes when post-storm damage involves trees that were visibly diseased, dead, or unstable beforehand. Insurance companies do not direct homeowners to remove trees, but claim reviews now place more weight on whether a tree's condition should reasonably have been known and addressed.
That dynamic has driven the rise in homeowner calls in recent weeks. KC Tree Care is scheduling assessments and clearance work across the metro, prioritizing trees with visible structural concerns and those positioned near homes, driveways, fences, and overhead lines.
"Most of the damage we see in the aftermath of a storm could have been prevented with an inspection and some targeted trimming or removal earlier in the year," said Zach Johnson, owner of KC Tree Care. "Insurance carriers are not telling homeowners to remove trees, but homeowners are figuring out on their own that a reduced or denied claim on a dead tree they knew about is a problem they can avoid by handling it now."
The company's pre-storm work begins with an arborist inspection to identify the trees and limbs that pose the greatest risk. Crews then handle crown thinning to reduce wind resistance, deadwood removal, structural pruning to correct weak unions, and full removal of compromised trees. Stump grinding, debris haul-off, and emergency storm response are available within the same scope.
Kansas City Tree Care works on tree species common to the region, including oak, maple, ash, hackberry, sycamore, and pine, and coordinates with utility providers when trees threaten power lines. The family-owned company is licensed, bonded, and insured, and serves residential and commercial property owners across the Kansas City metro on both sides of the Kansas-Missouri state line.
Free, no-obligation property assessments are available, and the company recommends scheduling early so crews have time to address the highest-risk trees before the first major system arrives.
###
For more information about Kansas City Tree Care, contact the company here:
Kansas City Tree Care
Zach Johnson
(913) 894-4767
kctreecare1505@gmail.com
1505 Merriam Ln, Kansas City, KS 66103
