Tree Service in Strafford, MO

Tree Service in Strafford covers a town with one of the odder layouts in Missouri. Ripley's Believe It or Not! once called it the only town in the U.S. with two main streets and no back alleys: Route 66 was built behind the businesses, between them and the railroad, so owners cut new entrances and their buildings ended up with two fronts. The town was platted in 1870 when the railroad arrived, and it still sits on that strip between the highway and the tracks, with homes spreading out onto larger rural lots around it.

A mostly rural setting

The 2020 census counted 2,561 residents and classified 99.6% of them as living in rural areas. Strafford sits at about 1,490 feet, higher than Springfield, mostly in eastern Greene County with a small piece in western Webster County. Out here trees are not lined up along curbs; they grow in clusters around older houses, along fencerows and at the edges of fields. Access is usually easier than in town, but distances are longer, the trees are often bigger, and many of them have never been pruned.

Ash borer on both sides of the line

Emerald ash borer was confirmed in Greene County in August 2018 and in Webster County by that December, so Strafford has had the beetle on both sides of the county line for years. MDC warns that the insect kills more than 99% of the ash trees it attacks, usually within three to four years. A dying ash goes brittle quickly, which makes it more dangerous to climb and to fell the longer it stands. If you have an ash with a thinning crown near your house or the road, waiting rarely makes the job cheaper.

Wind from the southwest

During the April 29, 2025 windstorm, the National Weather Service recorded gusts in the 45 to 50 mph range three miles southwest of Strafford, on the edge of the much stronger winds that hit Springfield. Open ground east of the city lets wind build before it reaches trees, and isolated yard trees with no neighbors to break the gust tend to take the brunt. Thinning a dense crown lets wind pass through rather than pushing against a solid sail.

What Strafford owners ask for

• Removal of dead and dying ash before they become brittle
• Pruning large, never-trimmed yard trees around older homes
• Clearing trees back from outbuildings and long driveways
• Fencerow clearing between pastures and yards
• Storm cleanup on acreage
• Stump grinding where a tree once shaded the house

Request an estimate

Call (417) 374-2037 or send the form. On rural properties, a note about gates, ditches or soft ground helps us plan the visit. Get a free estimate