Trees are valuable not only for the direct benefits they bring to your home but also because replacing them is an arduous task. At the same time, they can cause great damage if they fall on a valuable property. This is why most homeowners expect their home insurance coverage to pay when mature trees fall. Such coverage isn't automatic; it may only apply in certain situations. Here are a few things to note about landscape coverage:

Coverage for Specific Risks

Just like other parts of your home, damage to your trees (that fall under landscaping) is covered provided they occur due to the named risks. For example, most policies will cover your trees if they are destroyed in a fire, by vandals or if they are stolen. Therefore, head over to your policy and scrutinize the listed perils under landscaping damage (you can also ask your insurer about it). The insurance company will probably pay you for the replacement of the trees if they suffer those damages.

Damage to Insured Structure Is Covered 

You may incur more than one type of loss if one of your trees falls. The obvious one is the loss of the tree, but the fallen tree can also fall on and damage one of your properties. In such a case, if the tree is felled by a covered peril, you will be compensated both for the replacement of the tree and the damage it has caused. Most policies will pay you for the damages caused by the fallen tree even if the cause of the fall isn't covered in your policy.

Consider an example where a strong wind causes one of your trees to fall on your house and damage the roof. In such a case, you will not be paid for the replacement of the tree (if wind damage isn't a named peril in landscape coverage, as is usually the case), but you are likely to be compensated for the roof damage.

Removal Covered If It Causes Damage

Lastly, there is also the issue of removal, which isn't as minor as some may think. Removing a fallen tree (including the cleanup cost) can cost as much as a few thousands of dollars. You don't have to worry about this cost if the tree was felled by an insured peril; your insurance coverage will take care of it. If the tree was felled by an excluded peril, then your insurance company will only pay for its removal if it causes damage. For example, your policy may not pay for the removal of a tree that falls on a clear space on the yard, but it's likely to pay for the removal of a tree that falls on your attached garage.