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Storm Damage Tree Removal in Northwest Indiana & Chicagoland
Crews are in the area now. If you have a tree down on your property, call 1-855-OAK-SERV (625-7378).
After a big wind or ice event, every tree crew in Northwest Indiana is booked solid within hours. That’s the gap we fill. O.A.K. Services keeps crews and equipment on standby and rolls out to Portage, Valparaiso, Chesterton, Gary, Munster and the Chicago metro when the call comes. We’re TCIA-accredited, insured, and we photograph and document everything your adjuster is going to ask for. Storm emergency? Call 1-855-OAK-SERV (625-7378), any hour.
Our Process
Our Storm Response Process
Every job starts with an ISA Certified Arborist walking the property. We photograph what we find, work out what equipment the job actually needs, and go from there. The photo record follows the job start to finish, so when your adjuster asks for documentation it’s already sitting there.
1. Site Assessment
Certified Arborist on-site to assess hazards, species, access, and required equipment.
2. Quote & Plan
Itemized written quote with equipment plan, crew size, and schedule. No surprises on the bill.
3. Safe Execution
Work executed by trained, insured crew. Safety protocols followed on every job, no exceptions.
4. Cleanup & Documentation
Site cleanup, debris hauling, and timestamped photo documentation for any insurance claim.
A Word From Our Clients
“Very knowledgeable and safety oriented. O.A.K. Services wasted no time responding to and setting up a removal day after we lost all our trees in the back of our house after a EF 2 tornado touched down in Aiken. Thank You so much for all you did to help us get back to normal. If you need them, call them they are great.”
— Nick Boscia, verified Google review
Why OAK
Storm Response for Northwest Indiana & Chicagoland
Summer here is squall lines off the plains. The August 2020 derecho is the one everybody remembers, and it stripped mature canopy off Porter and Lake County properties in under an hour. Winter is slower and costs just as much: ice and lake-effect loading off Lake Michigan, piling weight onto limbs until something lets go.
The ground doesn’t help. Heavy clay and lakeplain soil holds water, and once a root plate is saturated a full-grown tree will tip over in wind that would only strip limbs somewhere drier. Out toward the lakeshore around Chesterton and Portage the sandy dune-and-swale soil gives big trees a shallow footing to start with.
Then there’s the ash. Emerald ash borer left standing dead ash all over this region, and dead ash is the work nobody wants. It’s brittle, it comes apart without warning, and you don’t put a climber in it. That’s what the 126-foot crane is for. Same with split-prone silver maple, and the big oak and cottonwood hanging over garages on older lots.
An ISA Certified Arborist from our staff runs every job. That matters most once the obvious damage is cleared and somebody has to decide which of the trees still standing are safe to keep. Get that call wrong and you’re doing this again next season. Emergency dispatch is open around the clock at 1-855-OAK-SERV (625-7378).
- ISA Certified Arborist on staff
- Top 2% TCIA Accredited
- BBB A+ Rated
- Fully Insured
How We Stand Apart
How We Stand Apart from Storm-Chasers
01. Same Address Since 2005
After a big storm, unlicensed crews show up fast, take deposits, and are gone before the work is done. We’ve been at the same Aiken, SC address since 2005. Look us up before you sign anything, because the TCIA Accreditation, the BBB A+ rating and the 50+ Google reviews are all public. You’ll get a certificate of insurance and a written scope on every job whether you ask for them or not.
02. ISA Certified Arborist on Every Job
We have multiple ISA Certified Arborists on staff, and one of them runs every job we take. Founder Charles Rice is a 14-year ISA Certified Arborist and holds ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification. The company has been TCIA Accredited since 2016, which is roughly the top 2% of tree companies in the country.
03. Equipment Built for Heavy Storm Work
The 126-foot, 100-ton crane (Tree Mek and Mecanil) is for trees pinned on a roof or a garage, or sitting on a lot too tight to rig conventionally. Grapple rigs haul the volume off bigger properties and the grinders take care of what’s left in the ground. Every stick of wood waste gets recycled.
Email Us
info@oakservices.com
Call Us 24/7
(855) 625-7378
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Questions About Storm Response
How fast can you get a crew out after a storm?
Dispatch runs 24 hours a day out of our Aiken, SC headquarters. We watch systems as they develop and put crews and equipment on standby ahead of a projected track, so we’re moving before the storm clears instead of after the phones start ringing.
When you call, we’ll go over what came down, what it’s going to take to move it, and when we can be there. Call 1-855-OAK-SERV (625-7378) any time.
Are you insured, and how is the work documented for my claim?
We carry Commercial Auto, General Liability and Worker’s Comp. Ask for the certificates before work starts and we’ll send them over.
Every job gets photographed before, during and after, so you have a record your insurer can work from. We’ll deal with the adjuster directly and put the scope in writing. And if you want to check us out first, the TCIA Accreditation is listed at tcia.org, along with a BBB A+ rating and 50+ Google reviews.
How do I tell a legitimate contractor from a storm chaser?
Ask for four things before you sign: a certificate of insurance covering General Liability, Auto and Worker’s Comp; a written scope of work; a business address with a history you can look up; and a credential you can check yourself, like TCIA Accreditation or ISA Certification. We’ll hand you all four. A crew working a disaster zone out of a pickup usually can’t produce one.
Don’t pay a big deposit to somebody who showed up unsolicited, can’t show insurance on the spot, and has no history you can find. And if you’ve already got a quote in hand and want a second opinion on it, call (855) 625-7378.
Accreditations