24/7 Emergency Tree Service Greer, SC
Fallen Trees, Storm Damage and Hanging Limbs, Day or Night
When a storm drops a tree onto your home, across a car or over the driveway, ring Backcountry Tree Service Greer on (864) 334-7887. Our emergency line is open 24/7, weekends and holidays included, for Greer, Taylors, Duncan, Lyman and Wellford. We make the tree safe first. Once the danger has passed, the wood is cut up and hauled off and the yard is cleaned up. We're licensed and insured, which counts for a lot when a crew is working on a tree lying across someone's roof.
Storm callouts sit alongside the rest of our tree services in Greer. A damaged tree that's still upright and can wait for a planned day is covered under tree removal in Greer.
When to Call Us Straight Away
Any of these is worth a call at any hour:
- A tree or limb on the roof. Weight still pressing on the rafters, or a broken section where rain can get in.
- A car pinned under branches. In the driveway, under the carport or out on the street.
- No way in or out. A trunk lying across the driveway, or across the route an ambulance would need.
- Hung-up limbs. Broken branches caught high in the crown, which can fall with little warning.
- A fresh lean. It stood straight yesterday and now tilts, often with the ground heaved or cracked around its base.
- Wires tangled in the branches. Stay well back and phone the power company first. We start once the line has been made safe.
Before We Get There
Keep clear of the tree and anything it's touching. Clear the rooms beneath a fallen tree, and keep kids and pets well away from it. Treat every downed wire as live. Duke Energy's advice is to stay at least 30 feet away, and it warns that wet ground or standing water can widen the danger zone. If a line is down or anyone is hurt, call 911.
Leave the chainsaw in the shed. Clemson Extension warns that storm-damaged trees are some of the most dangerous trees to cut, because they're often unstable or under tension. If you can do it without going near the tree, photograph and film the damage before it's disturbed. Your insurer will want to see it.
What Happens When You Call
- Tell us what has happened. What came down, where it's lying, whether anyone is hurt and whether wires are tangled in it.
- We read the tree before cutting. Which limbs are carrying its weight, which are bent under load and could spring back, and what will shift when the first piece comes off.
- The weight comes off in sections. A tree resting on a house is taken apart piece by piece and lowered on ropes, so nothing drops back onto the roof. Some trees can only be lifted off safely with a crane. If yours is one of them, we'll explain why before one is booked.
- Doors and driveways come first. We open up the way in and out before working on the rest of the tree.
- Clean-up. We cut the wood into manageable pieces, load it onto the truck and rake the yard. A stump left in the ground can be dealt with later through our stump grinding in Greer.
Downed Power Lines and Trees Across the Road
Depending on where you live, your electricity may come from Greer CPW, Duke Energy, Blue Ridge Electric Co-op or Laurens Electric Co-op. Greenville County lists Greer CPW on (864) 848-5500 and Duke Energy on 1-800-769-3766. Report a tree on a line to them, not to us. No tree crew should touch a tree in contact with a line until the utility has made it safe.
A tree lying across a public road belongs to whoever maintains the road. SCDOT asks people to report fallen trees and debris on state roads on 855-467-2368, and in Spartanburg County, a tree in the road after business hours is reported to 911, which notifies the right agency. In Greenville County, a road number starting with GR is a City of Greer road, and the City's Public Services department is on (864) 848-2184. Trees in your own yard, or across your own driveway, are the ones we clear.
Storms That Bring Trees Down Around Greer
The National Weather Service office that issues warnings for the Upstate sits at GSP International Airport, on the edge of Greer. It counts a thunderstorm as severe when it brings winds of 58 mph or more, hail an inch across, or a tornado. Across most of the office's area, damaging winds peak in June and July, and in the Piedmont they tend to hit in the late afternoon. The NWS also notes that many deaths from straight-line winds happen when a tree falls on someone.
Ice works more slowly. The December 2005 ice storm left up to three-quarters of an inch of ice in and around Greenville, and many homes went almost a week without power. A Duke Energy spokesperson has said a quarter inch of ice could cause branches and trees to fall, and in January 2026 the NWS estimated that much of the Upstate got between a quarter and half an inch.
Hurricane Helene, in September 2024, was the worst of recent years. The airport recorded a peak gust of 59 knots, about 68 mph, and the NWS reported hundreds of trees falling on houses, vehicles and power lines across its area. Just over 90% of Greer CPW's 25,000-plus customers lost power, and the City of Greer kept collecting Helene debris until the end of March 2025.
Some trees fail more often than others. Clemson Extension lists water oak, pecan, Bradford pear, maple and pine among the yard trees blown over or broken during Helene. Bradford pears are notorious for it: their narrow branch angles let them split in half, especially under ice. After ice or snow, Clemson also notes that damage inside a tree may go unnoticed until dieback shows in spring, so a tree that looks fine the morning after can still be worth a second look.
Hiring Help After a Storm
South Carolina's Attorney General warns homeowners to be wary of crews that travel in from out of state after storms. The same advice flags unsolicited door-to-door offers, especially ones demanding a cash deposit, and crews that promise to pay your insurance deductible. Ask any crew, ours included, for a certificate of insurance covering general liability and workers' compensation, then call the insurer to confirm it's active. Get a written contract, and don't pay the full amount up front. When the Governor declares a State of Emergency, South Carolina's price-gouging law also applies.
Tree Damage and Insurance in South Carolina
What the state's insurance regulator says. According to the SC Department of Insurance, as quoted by the Attorney General, homeowners policies generally don't cover loss or damage caused by negligence or by maintenance issues, and a policy may pay up to $1,000 in reasonable expenses for removing fallen trees, with a limit of $500 per tree. If the tree didn't damage a covered structure, a policy may only pay when the tree has become an obstacle.
The Department also says to photograph and film the damage, and the Attorney General adds a warning: don't sign anything that assigns your insurance benefits to the contractor. The Department of Insurance's Consumer Services line is 803-737-6180 if you have questions about a claim. Read your own policy too; your agent can explain anything that isn't clear.
Emergency Tree Service FAQs
Answers to the questions storm calls bring up, from the insurance claim to the debris pile.
Can I call you in the middle of the night?
Yes. The emergency line is 24/7, weekends and holidays included. Call (864) 334-7887, describe what fell and say whether any wires are caught in it.
What should I do first if a tree hits my house?
Move everyone to the far side of the house and stay away from any wires. Call 911 if someone is hurt or a line is down. Once you can stand back safely, take photos, then ring us. Please don't start cutting it yourself.
What if the tree is resting on a power line?
Then the utility goes first. Call your power company, whether that's Greer CPW, Duke Energy or one of the co-ops, and keep everyone at least 30 feet back. When the utility has made the line safe, we can take the tree off.
How much does emergency tree work cost?
Cost guides put emergency work at about 1.5 to 3 times the same job on a scheduled day, because it happens at night, in bad weather or with the tree under tension. A large oak on a roof is a different job from a pine lying across the lawn. Its size, where it landed, and how much of it must be lowered on ropes or lifted by crane instead of cut where it lies all change the price. We'll give you the price before work starts. When a house is involved, making it safe comes first. For scheduled-day prices, see our Greer tree removal cost page.
Will my homeowners insurance pay to remove the tree?
Often, in part. The SC Department of Insurance says a policy may pay up to $1,000 in reasonable expenses to remove fallen trees, with a limit of $500 per tree, and when the tree hasn't damaged a covered structure, a policy may only pay if it has become an obstacle. Your agent can tell you what your own policy covers.
Who pays when a neighbor's tree falls into my yard?
Usually your own insurance is the first call. One South Carolina law firm explains that the owner of a healthy tree that falls in a storm usually isn't liable unless they were negligent, for example if they knew, or should have known, the tree was dead or decayed. That's a general picture, not legal advice.
Can I cut branches hanging over from next door?
South Carolina has no statute that spells it out. The generally accepted approach is to trim back to the property line at your own expense, without killing the tree or going onto your neighbor's land. Wilfully and maliciously damaging someone else's tree is a crime in South Carolina, so a word with your neighbor before you start is wise. Treat this as general information; a lawyer can advise on your own situation.
Will the City of Greer pick up storm debris?
The City collects limbs and brush at the curb each week, up to about a truckload (around 8 cubic yards), with limbs no more than 6 feet long and 6 inches across, ideally with the cut ends facing one way. Trees that are cut down, topped or removed are the homeowner's to clear, and contractors must take away debris from their own jobs. On our jobs, the wood leaves with us.
Still have a question?
Ring (864) 334-7887 any time, day or night, or send us the quote form at the top of the page.