Tree Service in Marshfield, MO

Elevation shapes Tree Service in Marshfield. Webster County describes itself as the highest extensive upland area of the Missouri Ozarks, and it calls Marshfield, at roughly 1,490 feet, the highest county seat in the state. The county straddles the divide between the Missouri and Arkansas river basins, holding the headwaters of the James, Niangua, Gasconade and Pomme de Terre rivers. Trees up here sit on exposed ridges, with little to slow down the wind.

The tornado of 1880

Marshfield's history includes one of the worst tornadoes in the country's record. On the evening of April 18, 1880, an F4 tornado hit the center of town, killing 65 people. It ranks as the 16th deadliest tornado in U.S. history and the second deadliest in Missouri. Nobody remembers that storm personally anymore, but it explains why people here take spring weather seriously. With average precipitation around 45.65 inches a year, peaking in late spring, the soil is often wet exactly when the strongest storms arrive, and wet soil lets trees uproot more easily.

Cherry trees all over town

The Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival started in Marshfield after a planting project that began in 2003. The first tree went in at the Webster County Museum in 2004, planted by the state's First Lady, and the Marshfield Rotary Club bought a large number of small cherry starts for the town. Clumps now line Cherry Blossom Way on the high school campus, and residents were encouraged to plant them in their own yards. Ornamental cherries are lovely but not long-lived, and they are prone to splitting, dieback and decay as they age. Light, regular pruning of deadwood and crossing branches keeps them blooming and safe. Big cuts on old cherries rarely heal well.

Webster County ash

MDC foresters confirmed emerald ash borer in Webster County in late 2018. Ash was a common yard and street tree in many Ozark towns, and Marshfield neighborhoods are no exception. If you have ash on your property, the time to decide between treatment and removal has mostly passed for trees that are already declining.

A town where people move in

Marshfield had 7,458 residents in 2020, and Census estimates now put it above 8,000. Census QuickFacts lists a 64.4% owner-occupied rate, with 84.9% of residents in the same home as a year earlier, a sign of a fair number of newcomers. New owners often inherit trees with no maintenance history. A walk-through to identify deadwood, weak forks and trees too close to the house is a good first step.

Common Marshfield work

• Pruning ornamental cherries and other flowering trees
• Wind-focused thinning of large shade trees on exposed lots
• Dead ash removal across Webster County
• Storm cleanup after spring severe weather
• Removing trees too close to foundations and roofs
• Stump grinding

Get a written estimate

Call (417) 374-2037 or send the form. We will walk the property with you and list every recommendation in writing. Get a free estimate