High winds cracked a small tree and the broken part landed on my shed. Doesn't look like the shed is damaged, but I won't know for sure until the tree is removed. Any tips on what to check in terms of potential damage?

As for removing the tree, since the broken part is still attached to the main tree, I'm guessing not all of the weight of the broken part is resting on the shed. So maybe it makes sense to cut off the smaller limbs first, to reduce the overall weight on the shed's roof before severing the broken part from the main tree?

Any tips on dealing with this are welcomed.

 

Hard to say without seeing it but most of the damage [if any] would have been caused by the sudden jolt of the limb hitting the shed. It shouldn't hurt to remove the limb piece by piece.

 

Generally getting the damaged tree off the building is the first step but we can't see what you have. You will just have to go out there and inspect and come up with a plan.

Tree removal can be dangerous. A damaged tree even more so. Before climbing or cutting make sure you understand if and how anything will move if you start cutting.

 

I worked many summers in landscape & treework-

First, what kind of tree? Sounds like an odd question, but softwoods like willow, poplar and pines are much "safer" to work around because those branches break instead of bend.
Hardwoods like locust and pin oak are dangerous, the branches bend like a crossbow arm and store the energy of the fall. Cut them in the wrong place and they can knock a 10 pound Stihl chainsaw out of your hand and send it 4 feet up in the air.

When you cut broken tree limbs, be careful about getting the saw blade pinched, it's the biggest rookie mistake, cutting a branch from the side that is under compression more than about 1/3 of the way, and the branch WILL compress even more, often bending a pole saw blade, and often enough to ruin the links on a chain saw chain, and occasionally enough to warm a chainsaw bar.

If you have access to a pole-chainsaw, those are excellent.
If not, grab an pole-saw AND a PACK OF NEW blades.
A pole saw with a new sharp blade is a thing of beauty, it will cut limbs up to 4-5" easily.

 

Thanks for the tips. Not sure what kind of tree. At first I tried using a reciprocating saw with a pruning blade that I borrowed from a neighbor. One cut of a 2" limb and I knew this wasn't the tool for the job. Went out and bought an electric pole saw. All the goodness of a chainsaw on an extendable pole. It's awesome! Cuts through limbs like a hot knife through butter. Still have the main trunk to contend with, but I'll deal with that tomorrow while there is still daylight.