DEAR BRUCE: This past spring, a nasty storm came through, and my front porch was damaged by limbs that fell from a tree in my front yard. I filed an insurance claim, and all was well.

Last month, I received a letter from my insurance company that said my policy would not be renewed unless I cut down the tree. Can the insurance company do that? It’s a large tree and will cost me thousands to get it cut, and the insurance company won’t even help me with that cost. — Reader in Ohio

DEAR READER: The insurance company is covering you to the end of the policy, and it has determined there is a risk on your property that has dissuaded it from continuing coverage. I can’t think why the insurance company would share in the cost of removing the tree, any more than it would help correct a structural defect, in order to continue insuring your home. I think your choice is to get rid of the tree or find a new carrier, which may not be so easy to do.