Tree Trimming & Pruning in Springfield, MO

Broken, diseased and dead branches come out before they fall on something. Most of what we cut is wood that was going to end up on a roof, a car or a fence in the next storm.

A tree pruned on a schedule holds up better in ice and wind than one left alone for ten years, and the work is cheaper than the damage. When removal is necessary we handle it. When a tree can be preserved, we'll help it thrive.

As a family-owned company, we answer the phone ourselves and stand behind the work.

What Trimming Covers

• Dead, broken, and diseased branches removed before wind or ice brings them down
• Limbs trimmed back from roofs, fences, driveways, and power lines
• Crowded canopies thinned so storms blow through them, not against them
• Low-hanging branches raised to clear driveways and walkways
• Structural pruning to improve weak branch structure

Trimming vs. Topping

We don't top trees, because it is bad for them. Topping cuts the top of a tree and its main limbs back to stubs to make it shorter.

• The stub cuts are big wounds the tree has trouble sealing, and decay gets in.
• Losing that much of the crown at once leaves the tree short of the leaves it makes its food with.
• A thick bunch of fast shoots grows out below each cut. They are weakly attached and break off more easily in wind and ice.
• The shoots grow back quickly, so a topped tree is soon as tall as it was, and weaker.

When a tree has to be smaller, we cut a limb back to a side branch big enough to take over, not to a stub. More in our article on the best time to trim trees in Missouri.

Trimming That Keeps the Tree Healthy

Every pruning cut is a wound the tree has to seal. A good cut is made just outside the branch collar, the slightly swollen ring where a branch joins the trunk or a bigger limb. A flush cut or a long stub seals slower and lets decay in.

How much comes off matters too. Taking no more than about a quarter of the live crown in a season leaves the tree enough leaves to keep feeding itself. A tree you want to keep for years, or one that looks sick, is worth an arborist assessment before anyone cuts.

What Affects Tree Trimming Cost

The price depends on the height of the tree and how much wood comes out. Limbs over a roof or a fence take longer, because they are roped down instead of dropped. Getting our bucket truck close to the tree saves time too. We look at the tree and quote it free before any work starts.

When to Trim in the Ozarks

Late fall through late winter is the best window for most pruning. Oaks are the exception: do not prune them from mid March through July, when oak wilt can spread through fresh cuts. If an oak has to be cut in that window, the cut gets sealed right away. Dead, broken or hanging limbs can come out any time of year. Read more in our articles on the best time to trim trees in Missouri and when to prune oaks.

Do I Need Trimming or Removal?

If the tree is sound and the trouble is in its branches, trimming usually takes care of it. If the tree is dead, diseased, hollow, split, leaning dangerously or growing too close to the house, it may need to come down. We'll help determine whether trimming is enough or if removal is the safer option.

See tree removal, or hazardous tree removal for a split trunk or a sudden lean.

We trim trees in Springfield, Nixa, Ozark, Republic, Bolivar and Willard.

As a family-owned and operated company it means the world to us to help our neighbors and community and do right by our customers. We stand behind every job we do.