Tree Service in Pleasant Hope, MO

Tree Service in Pleasant Hope serves a small town with a long history and a lot of open country around it. A post office has operated here since 1851, and the name is said to reflect the early settlers' optimism about the future. The town has grown slowly and steadily, from 80 people in 1880 to 548 in 2000 and 657 in 2020. It sits at about 1,119 feet in Polk County, which counted 67.2% of its residents as rural in 2020.

Polk County and the ash borer

Polk County was one of the first counties around Springfield where emerald ash borer was confirmed. In 2018 the Missouri Department of Agriculture confirmed the beetle on private property east of Bolivar, the county seat, at the same time it was found in Greene County. MDC added both counties to its confirmed list that August. By now the beetle has had years to spread through the county's ash, and many of the dead ash we see around here are in fencerows, along creeks and in yards where they were planted as fast shade.

Why dead ash should not wait

Ash killed by the borer dries out and becomes brittle. It can drop large limbs without warning, and when it is cut, it can break apart in unexpected ways. That makes old dead ash one of the more dangerous trees to remove, especially near a house or power line. MDC suggests removing ash that have lost more than half their crown and replacing them with a different species. We usually recommend acting while the tree is still partly alive.

Rural lots, rural work

Most tree jobs around Pleasant Hope look like this:

• Removing dead ash and other hazard trees near homes and outbuildings
• Clearing trees and brush from fencerows and field edges
• Pruning yard trees that have grown over roofs, shops and drives
• Cutting a lane back so trucks, trailers and equipment fit through
• Storm cleanup after ice or wind
• Stump grinding where a yard is being opened up

Lines on rural roads

On rural properties the power line often runs along the road or across a pasture to the house. The Missouri Public Service Commission advises owners not to prune trees near high-voltage lines themselves and to call their electric utility instead. The service drop, the lower-voltage wire from the pole to the meter, is generally the owner's to keep clear, and the PSC suggests asking the utility to disconnect it before work. We work around service drops once that is arranged and leave the high-voltage lines to the utility.

Firewood and disposal

MDC asks people to keep ash firewood local because the beetle can emerge from cut logs for up to two years. On acreage, the simplest option is to cut the wood to length and leave it stacked on your property for your own use. We can also chip brush or haul everything away.

Request an estimate

Call (417) 374-2037 or send the form. Let us know about gates, livestock and how far the trees are from the drive. Get a free estimate