mm wrote:
On Mon, 23 Jul 2007 16:50:40 -0700, RicodJour
wrote:

Maybe so, but it's not insurable.

It may not be insured, but its insurable.

If the tree dies naturally - which is what lightning is, nature -
that's a negative impact. So, if it dies of disease or old age or
drought, should the insurance company pay for the loss. A tree limb
breaking off is a smaller negative impact, so do you feel the
insurance company should pay part of the value of the tree?

It depends what the policy says. I doubt if any normal policy pays
for limbs, or old age, and I don't know if any policy will pay for
lightning, wind, drought or disease, but they could write one and sell
one if they wanted.

I can imagine them doing so in places where the likely loss is low,
and they think it will attract customers.

Actually, what I was thinking about when responding before was while in
Lynchburg, VA, and dealing w/ restoration of antebellum houses. A
couple of instances large, _really_ old specimen trees were damaged and
did recover some damages.

However, on reflection, while it was too long ago to recall for sure
now, I suspect there were riders on the policies for the specific trees
owing to their nature, and they weren't covered under the general
homeowners comprehensive clause.

....

You could never get two people to agree on the monetary value - or any
other quantitative value for that matter - of a fully grown mature
tree.

The same way they decide how much a house with its yard is worth.
Take the value with the tree and subtract the value without, and
that's the value of the tree.

Yep, that's basically how it was done in those cases...an arbitration
panel did it.

....

How do you replace a 40', or taller, pine tree? What do you think the
tree and root ball would weigh? Twenty tons? Forty? Obviously
that's not getting delivered and erected. So what's the alternative?
Here's a 15' tree, please weight 30 years? This makes no sense.

They would get money, not a replacement tree.

Actually, trees of that size can be and are replaced on occasion. "How"
is with large equipment just like dealing w/ structural steel or
anything else large and heavy. Isn't common as it is, as you say, far
too expensive for the average tree, but for commercial landscaping or
historical sites in particular, it certainly is part of what goes into
restoration and upkeep for, again, particularly valuable specimens.

One of the two that was involved with in Lynchburg was replaced the
other, for accessibility reasons, adjusted.

So on reflection I will agree, for the ordinary homeowners' policy and
the average backyard tree, it's unlikely to be covered other than some
minimal damage perhaps. But, all would take for OP would be a phone
call and ask if he has any recourse.

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