Tree Service in New Chapel Hill, TX

Tree Service in New Chapel Hill looks more like rural work than town work, even though it is an incorporated city. New Chapel Hill had 620 residents at the 2020 census in about 2.4 square miles, and the census classified every one of them as rural. There were 261 housing units, nearly 12 percent vacant. Most homes sit on generous lots with pines and hardwoods around them, and the area is served by the Chapel Hill Independent School District.

The May 2019 tornado

On Saturday, May 18, 2019, the National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado in the Chapel Hill area of Smith County near the junction of Highway 64 East and Spur 248. Winds were estimated at 90 mph and the tornado was on the ground for roughly three-quarters of a mile to a mile, uprooting trees, breaking large branches and damaging shingles. A tornado warning went out at 5:23 p.m. and the touchdown came around 5:45, about 20 to 25 minutes of lead time. That is enough time to get inside, not enough to do anything about the trees. Storm preparation here has to happen weeks earlier.

Preparing a rural lot for storm season

On a wooded country property, the goal is not to remove every tree, just the ones that can reach what matters. We usually start by drawing an imaginary circle around the house, shop and driveway as wide as the tallest nearby tree is tall. Inside that circle we check every tree for:

• Dead tops or large dead limbs
• Splits, cracks or old wounds at branch unions
• Root damage from trenching, driveways or septic work
• Leaning trunks with lifted soil on the far side
• Pines that are browning or showing pitch tubes

The trees that fail those checks go on a removal list; the rest may only need pruning.

Vacant and family land

With about one in eight houses empty at the 2020 count, some properties here are family land or homes waiting to be sold. Unwatched trees there can drop on fences, block county roads after a storm, or fall onto a neighbor's property. We can inspect and clear those properties for owners who live elsewhere and send photos of the results.

After the storm

If a tree is down on a structure, stay out of the fall area and away from any wires, and report downed lines to your power provider. Then call (903) 636-8096. We handle the trees that are on the house or blocking the driveway first and schedule the rest of the cleanup after.

A steady, small community

New Chapel Hill's population has moved up and down over the years, from 618 in 1980 to 439 in 1990, then back up to 594 in 2010 and 620 in 2020. Many owners have been on their land a long time, and the trees reflect it. We work with you on a plan that may cover several seasons, so the most urgent work comes first and the rest is spread out. Get a free estimate