Tree Removal in Springfield, MO

Tree removal is the last option, not the first, but in Springfield it comes up for a handful of recurring reasons. An ash killed by emerald ash borer turns brittle within a few years. A Scots or Austrian pine browns out from pine wilt in a single season. A Callery pear splits down the middle in a spring storm. A big oak drops a limb on the garage and shows soft, punky wood at the break. Or a tree simply sits too close to the foundation, a new addition or a septic field. Our job is to tell you honestly whether removal is needed and then take the tree down without damaging anything around it.

How the tree comes down

Few Springfield trees can be felled in one piece. Lots in neighborhoods like Rountree, Phelps Grove and Woodland Heights are tight, with houses close together and wires along the back. Most removals are done in sections: a climber or lift works from the top down, and limbs and trunk pieces are lowered on ropes so they land where planned. Where a tree leans over a roof and nothing can safely be lowered, a crane is sometimes the safest method; if so, we say so in the quote and explain why.

Dead wood is a different job

A tree that has been dead for a couple of years is harder to remove than a live one. Dead ash in particular becomes brittle, so limbs can snap during rigging instead of bending. That is why the Missouri Department of Conservation tells ash owners to make a plan to treat or remove before trees decline, and why we suggest removing a dying tree sooner rather than later.

Ground and access

Upland yards around Springfield often sit on gravelly, chert-filled soil over limestone. That matters when we plan where a chipper or lift can go, how to protect the lawn, and how the stump will be handled afterward. If the ground is soft after rain, we may change the plan or the date rather than rut your yard.

Wood, brush and the stump

The quote spells out what happens to everything that comes off the tree: brush chipped and hauled or left as mulch, logs cut to firewood length or removed, and the stump ground or left. If you want to haul brush yourself, remember the city's Yardwaste Recycling Center only takes limbs up to 10 feet long and 10 inches thick. Pine wood from a pine wilt tree should be burned or buried, not kept as firewood or mulch.