Tree Hazard Screening
Trunk & Roots
Choose the strongest trunk, root, or soil warning sign you can see from a clear location.
How the screening works
What the interactive result can—and cannot—tell you
What this tool answers
This tool organizes five homeowner-reported inputs—trunk and roots, branches and crown, recent change and tree context, target exposure, and utility involvement—into a transparent screening priority. It does not turn those observations into a fake numerical risk score.
What it cannot determine
It cannot inspect the tree, verify internal wood or root condition, diagnose a cause, assign professional likelihood-of-failure or impact ratings, certify structural soundness, or provide a credentialed tree-risk assessment. A lower screening priority does not prove a tree is safe.
Inputs the tool uses
- Visible trunk and root-zone warning signs
- Visible branch and crown warning signs
- Recent storm, site, loading, or vitality change
- What could realistically be struck and how much that area is used
- Overhead electric-line involvement and visible downed-wire, arcing, or fire conditions
Why those variables matter
The method keeps structural warning signs, recent context, target exposure, and utilities distinct because they answer different questions. General foliage or vitality change is retained as context rather than being treated as structural-failure likelihood by itself. Utility proximity or uncertainty is reviewed by Midwest Roots before anyone decides whether OPPD coordination is necessary.
How to interpret the result
The public result stays intentionally simple: green Monitor, yellow On-Site Review, orange Prompt Review, or red Keep Clear. Utility observations can change the next action without creating a fifth or more-severe color category. The result is not a professional risk rating and should not be used by itself to decide that pruning or removal is necessary.
Omaha-specific methodology
For Omaha-area work, nearby or uncertain lines do not automatically send the homeowner to OPPD; Midwest Roots reviews the actual work context first. Apparent tree-to-line contact is a red Keep Clear condition while Midwest Roots determines whether utility coordination is required. If the homeowner reports a downed wire, visible arcing, or fire, the result remains the same red Keep Clear level but the first-action guidance tells them to report the electrical condition to OPPD and use 911 for fire or an immediate threat to people.
Sources and review status
Method status: Midwest Roots homeowner triage aid informed by the 2025 ISA Basic Tree Risk Assessment Form instructions, Nebraska Forest Service tree-hazard guidance, and current OPPD tree/power-line safety guidance. It is not presented as an ISA TRAQ assessment or other credentialed risk-assessment standard. Method reviewed 2026-09-08.