Questions about insurance coverage for your trees and other landscaping seldom come up until after a claim and your 80-year-old oak tree is no longer in its usual vertical position. The most common cause of loss for trees and shrubs are wind and lightning. The weight of ice or snow is also a frequent cause of loss.
Coverage for trees and shrubs is limited in property policies due to the inability to provide protection from their high susceptibility to damage by Mother Nature. Typically, a tree would not be covered for its actual loss caused by wind, but if there is resulting damage to an insured structure. For the loss of the tree itself, coverage is usually limited to around $500, but only for the perils of fire, lightning, explosion, theft, aircraft, vehicles not owned by the resident, and vandalism and malicious mischief.
The next most frequent question we get concerning tree damage is, "What if the tree is located on my neighbor's property?" It doesn't really matter if the tree is on your property or someone else's. If it falls on your house or other insured buliding structure and does damage, you should file a claim. You may seek monetary reimbursement from your neighbor if it is determined that the tree was in poor condition. If successful in recovering this money from the neighboring property owner's insurance company, you can be reimbursed for your deductible.
In the event that your automobile is damaged from this claim event, the comprehensive portion of your auto policy is where coverage would be found, and payment will be subject to your auto deductible.