Tree Service in Howe, TX

Howe is described as the highest point along US 75 between the Red River and the Gulf of Mexico, and anyone who has stood on an open lot here in a spring storm can believe it. That exposure is the main reason Tree Service in Howe leans toward storm preparation. The town of 3,571 (2020 census) sits in southern Grayson County, where US 75, State Highway 5 and FM 902 meet, bordering Sherman to the north.

Storms on record

Howe's storm history is long. On May 15, 1896, an F5 tornado passed along the west side of town and the Farmington community, destroying about 17 homes. More recently, on April 26, 2016, an EF1 tornado around 10 p.m. injured three people, damaged more than 20 homes and damaged Howe High School. Neither storm was unusual for North Texas. Both show why trees on exposed ground need attention before the season, not after.

Pruning for exposure

Trees growing in open, windy places respond by putting on thicker trunks and lower, wider crowns, which is good. The weak points are long horizontal limbs with all their weight at the tips, narrow forks, and dead branches that act like levers in gusts. For exposed trees we focus on: 1. Removing all deadwood larger than about an inch. 2. Shortening the longest limbs back to a strong side branch to reduce end weight. 3. Reducing one side of a narrow fork so it is less likely to split. 4. Leaving the interior foliage in place; over-thinning a wind-exposed tree pushes more load onto the ends.

Grain-town history

In 1873 the Houston and Texas Central Railway built a switch here called Summit, renamed Howe in 1876 for railroad employee F. M. Howe, and the town incorporated in 1884. By the late 1880s it was a major grain shipping center, especially for red rust-proof oats, and the Interurban linked it to Denison and Dallas by 1914. Farm country like that has few native shade trees. Most of Howe's mature trees were planted around homes and along streets in town, and many have reached the size where a failure would land on a roof.

Ash borer and lines

Texas A&M Forest Service lists Grayson County as confirmed for emerald ash borer. Ash in Howe yards should be checked for crown thinning, woodpecker damage and bark splits. For trees near overhead lines, call the utility that owns the line; trimming around the service drop to your home is generally the owner's job, done by a qualified crew after power is disconnected.

Planting for wind

If you are replacing a tree in Howe, choose species with strong wood, such as bur oak, cedar elm or Shumard red oak, and avoid fast-growing, weak-wooded trees like Bradford pear and silver maple, which tend to split in wind and ice. Plant away from the house and lines so the tree can grow a full crown without needing clearance pruning. A young tree on open ground also benefits from early structural pruning to set a single leader before winds begin to shape it.

Call (469) 421-7984 or send the form for a written estimate on pruning, removal or stump grinding in Howe. Get a free estimate