Tree Service in Winona, TX

Tree Service in Winona got a lot of attention on August 22, 2022. That Monday morning an EF1 tornado with peak winds of 95 mph touched down at 10:26 a.m. about a mile west-southwest of Winona and tracked northeast for about 3.8 miles before lifting at 10:30, three miles north-northeast of town. Winona is a small city of 623 people (2020 census) in Smith County, founded in 1870, so a path like that crosses a large share of the community.

The path, tree by tree

The National Weather Service survey reads like a list of what wind does to East Texas trees:

• West of town it uprooted a tree and threw a small metal outbuilding across the road.
• It crossed the Winona ISD campus, lifting a training sled on the football field and damaging a dugout roof, missing school buildings by about 200 yards.
• Near Hussey Circle it brought down several large branches and snapped a large tree that fell into a home.
• At County Road 155, where the path reached its widest, about 200 yards, it uprooted hardwood trees before lifting.

No one was hurt. The pattern is typical: some trees snap at a weak point in the trunk, and others, especially hardwoods on wet or shallow soil, come out by the roots.

Snapped vs. uprooted

The difference matters for prevention. Trees that snap usually had decay, a cavity, a split or a weak fork in the trunk, things a careful inspection can find. Trees that uproot usually had root problems: cut roots, soil saturated by rain, or a shallow root plate over dense subsoil. You cannot change the weather, but you can find and fix the first kind of problem and spot the warning signs of the second.

A storm-season checklist for Winona yards

• Look for dead limbs larger than your wrist over the house or driveway
• Check where big branches join the trunk for cracks or included bark
• Watch for mushrooms or conks at the base, a sign of root or butt rot
• Notice if a tree has started leaning or the soil has mounded on one side
• Keep trees near the house thinned so wind can pass through, not topped

If anything on that list sounds familiar, call (903) 636-8096 and we will come look.

Cleanup and stumps

After a storm, we cut trees off structures first, then clear drives and yards, then grind stumps once things settle. If a tree has fallen into a home, as one did near Hussey Circle, we cut and lift it off in pieces to avoid adding damage. Most cleanups also turn up trees that were loosened but did not fall, and we flag those for you.

Estimates

We give Winona homeowners free on-site estimates in writing, with each tree and task listed. Winona uses the 75792 ZIP code; let us know your road when you call. Get a free estimate