Hurricane Season Tree Checklist for Property Managers in Puerto Rico

Homeowners prepare one yard for hurricane season. Property managers prepare dozens of trees, sometimes hundreds, across parking lots, walkways, pools, and buildings, with residents, guests, or tenants underneath. When a limb comes down on a car or a roof, the questions that follow are about the manager: was the tree inspected, was the work scheduled, is there a record?

This checklist is built for that job. It assumes you manage a condominium, HOA, hotel, office park, or other commercial property in Puerto Rico, and that you need a plan you can show your board or owner. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, so the work below should start months earlier.

December to February: inventory and assessment

1. Build or update a tree inventory

You cannot prioritize trees you have not counted. A basic inventory lists each tree or group of trees with:

• Location (zone, building, or parking section)
• Species and approximate height
• Visible condition: dead wood, cracks, lean, decay, root damage
• What it would hit if it failed

If you have never done one, a site walk with an arborist is the fastest way to get it started. Our commercial and HOA service begins with exactly that walk.

2. Map your priority zones

Not every tree carries the same risk. Rank zones by what is underneath:

1. Roofs and building walls, including balconies and windows
2. Parking areas, where falling limbs mean damage claims
3. Walkways, entrances, and pools, where people gather
4. Power and service lines running through or along the property
5. Perimeter, slopes, and open green areas

Trees in the first four zones get looked at first, every year.

3. Get a professional assessment of high-risk trees

Some trees need more than a walk-by. Large trees with visible decay, cracks at the union, lifted roots, or a history of storm damage should get a proper risk assessment from an ISA Certified Arborist, with written notes you can file.

January to April: schedule the pruning

4. Book pruning in the dry season

The dry season, December through April, is the best window for trimming most species in Puerto Rico, and it leaves time to finish before June. Waiting until May means competing with every other property for crew time, and work scheduled in June can be interrupted by the first storm.

5. Prioritize structural pruning over cosmetic trimming

Before the season, the goal is to reduce failure risk, not just to tidy up. That means removing dead and broken limbs, reducing heavy limbs over targets, and correcting weak structure. Properly done structural tree pruning follows ANSI A300 standards and does not involve topping, which makes trees weaker over time.

6. Clean palms without over-cutting them

Palms are often the most numerous trees on a property. Before the season, remove dead and hanging fronds, seed stalks, and coconuts that could become projectiles. Leave the healthy green crown. Royal palms survive hurricanes because they shed fronds and bend; stripping them into a "hurricane cut" takes away the very fronds that protect the bud. See our palm tree trimming page for what a correct palm cleaning includes, or local examples like palm tree trimming in Río Grande.

7. Remove dead and failing trees

Dead trees do not get better, and they are the most likely to fail in wind. If the assessment flagged trees for removal, schedule them before pruning season ends. If a tree is large, native, or near water or public land, ask whether authorization may be needed and check with your municipio before cutting.

April to May: paperwork and agreements

8. Put vendor documents on file

Before the season, every tree vendor you might call should have on file with you:

• A current certificate of insurance (COI)
• Contact numbers, including an after-hours line
• The name of the person who will coordinate your property

Trying to collect a COI the day after a hurricane, when every manager on the island is calling, is too late.

9. Decide how storm response will work

Ask your tree vendor how they handle contracted properties after a storm, and get the answer in writing. A storm response agreement should spell out how you request help, how priority is handled, how work is documented, and how it is billed. Puerto Rico Tree Services runs a 24/7 emergency and storm line at (787) 969-7802. We do not promise arrival times after a major storm, because no honest company can, but contracted properties know how they will be handled before the storm, not after.

10. Build your emergency contact list

Print it, because phones and internet may be down. Include:

• 911 for injuries and downed lines
• LUMA at 1-844-888-5862 for any tree touching a power line
• Your tree service, including the after-hours line
• Your insurance agent and the policy number
• Board members or owner contacts who can approve emergency spending

11. Pre-approve emergency spending

Agree with your board or owner, in advance, on what you can authorize without a meeting. After a storm, a tree on a building cannot wait for a quorum.

Before every named storm

12. Take a photo baseline

Walk the property and photograph trees in the priority zones, with dates. If a tree fails, these photos show its condition before the storm and that maintenance was done, which helps with insurance and with residents.

13. Secure loose items and clear drains

Loose branches, cut wood, and debris left on site become projectiles. Clear storm drains so saturated soil does not loosen root plates further.

After the storm: the walk

14. Walk the property in order of priority

Start with roofs, entrances, and parking. Keep everyone away from downed lines and call 911 and LUMA. Photograph damage before any cleanup.

15. Triage and call

Separate true emergencies (trees on occupied buildings, blocked exits, lines down) from scheduled cleanup (trees down in open areas). Call the 24/7 line for the first group. Book storm cleanup for the second.

16. Re-inspect survivors

Trees that stayed up can still be damaged: cracked unions, lifted roots, hanging limbs. Schedule a follow-up assessment before the next storm.

Planning numbers

For budgeting, these are our published planning ranges for Puerto Rico, not quotes: tree removal $300 to $2,500, trimming and shaping $200 to $800, structural pruning $150 to $600, palm trimming $100 to $500 per palm, and stump grinding $100 to $400 per stump. A site walk turns them into a written proposal. For metro properties, see tree trimming in San Juan.

To schedule a pre-season site walk for your property, call (787) 969-7802 or request one through our commercial page.