Campbell, CA (Santa Clara
County)
An insurance company asked us to determine why a tree owned by
their insured lost a large limb in Campbell, California. While
the tree, a blue atlas cedar, was in good health and had been
pruned a couple of years prior by a local tree service, the
fallen limb had cracked a few months prior to the failure due to
its excessive weight and large diameter relative to the trunk.
The combination of the existing crack and the wind on the date
of failure was sufficient to cause the limb to break and damage
a parked vehicle. We found no evidence to suggest that the
insured had prior knowledge that the tree was hazardous. We also
provided recommendations to reduce the likelihood of future
trunk or limb failure which included cabling trunks and
shortening the lowest tree limb.
