St. Louis, Missouri
Tree Removal and Tree Service in St. Louis
The tornado of May 16, 2025 cut through Forest Park and north St. Louis and took thousands of mature trees with it. More than a year on, damaged trees that were left standing are a large part of the tree work in the city.
- County
- Independent city, separate from St. Louis County
- Tree rules
- City Tree Ordinance (Ordinance 68607). Forestry Division, Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry.
- Key local rule
- Permit to Maintain before pruning or removing a city tree
- Electric utility
- Ameren Missouri
- Main hazards
- Tornadoes, straight-line winds, ice, emerald ash borer
May 16, 2025: an EF3 through the middle of the city
The tornado formed over Clayton in mid-afternoon and moved northeast across Forest Park, DeBaliviere Place, the Central West End, Academy, Fountain Park, the Greater Ville and O'Fallon before crossing the Mississippi into Illinois. It was rated EF3.
Forest Park Forever, the conservancy that looks after the park, reports that more than 5,000 trees were affected and about 3,000 were lost or will have to come out, most of them in the park's north and west. On the residential blocks to the northeast, century-old pin oaks and sycamores fell onto brick houses and across alleys.
St. Louis is also hit by straight-line windstorms most summers, and a heavy ice storm arrives every decade or so. The tornado landed on an urban forest that had already lost most of its ash to emerald ash borer.
Damage that shows up a year or two after a tornado
Trees along the edge of the path often looked fine in the first weeks. These are the delayed signs.
A crown that leafed out thin or late this spring
Root damage from rocking in the wind takes a season or more to show.
Bark sloughing off in long plates on the windward side
The layer beneath was killed by debris impact or twisting.
Torn branch stubs sprouting dense shoots
The sprouts are weakly attached and the stub behind them is decaying.
A fresh lean, or a gap opening in the soil at the base
The tree is still moving. Treat it as urgent.
Fungal brackets on a trunk that took a hit
Decay has entered through the wound.
Tree lawn trees and the Permit to Maintain
City-owned trees stand between the curb and the sidewalk, or typically within 10 feet of the curb, and the Forestry Division manages them. Under Section 12 of the City Tree Ordinance, anyone who wants to prune, spray or remove a city tree must first be issued a Permit to Maintain. Working on one without the permit can bring fines.
Trees on private lots are a different matter. The city does not generally require a permit to remove a yard tree outside of development review, though owners are expected to deal with dead and hazardous trees on their property. Houses in local historic districts should check whether site changes need review.
St. Louis City and St. Louis County are separate governments. Clayton, University City, Webster Groves, Kirkwood and the other county municipalities write their own tree rules, and several regulate private trees more closely than the city does.
Why city lots make removals harder
- Narrow lots and gangways
- Houses stand a few feet apart. Brush and logs move through a gangway barely wider than a wheelbarrow.
- Alley access
- Trucks and chippers usually set up in the alley, under Ameren lines strung pole to pole behind the garages.
- Brick garages and slate or tile roofs
- Everything is lowered on ropes. A dropped log breaks things that are hard to match.
- Very large trees
- Pin oaks, sycamores and silver maples planted with the houses are now 80 to 100 feet tall. Crane work is common.
- Storm backlog
- After the tornado, wait times for non-urgent work stretched out. Planning ahead still matters.
St. Louis street and yard trees
| Tree | Where you see it | Common trouble |
|---|---|---|
| Pin oak | Tree lawns across south and central city | Iron chlorosis in alkaline soil, dead lower limbs, great height |
| Sweetgum | Mid-century street plantings | Brittle tops in ice, gumballs, surface roots |
| Silver maple | Backyards and alleys | Hollow trunks and large limbs that split in summer storms |
| American sycamore | Older boulevards and parks | Huge size, anthracnose, limbs over roofs |
| Ash | Remaining street and park trees | Emerald ash borer. Dead ash turns brittle and unsafe to climb. |
| Callery pear | Newer plantings | Splits apart at the main fork after 15 to 20 years |
If a tree comes down in a storm
Stay away from wires
Assume any line is live. Call Ameren Missouri, and 911 if lines are down on a street or a building.
Work out whose tree it is
A tree lawn tree is the city's. Report it to the Citizens' Service Bureau. A yard tree is the owner's.
Call your insurer early
Photograph everything before anything is moved, including the stump and root plate.
Have it removed from the structure
Emergency tree removal takes the weight off the building so it can be covered.
Ask about the rest
Hauling wood and grinding the stump are often separate from the emergency work and from what insurance covers.
St. Louis tree service questions
Do I need a permit to cut down a tree in my St. Louis yard?
The City of St. Louis does not generally require one for a private yard tree. A permit is required for any tree in the tree lawn between the sidewalk and the curb, which belongs to the city.
Will the city remove the tree in front of my house?
If it is a city tree and it is dead or hazardous, the Forestry Division handles it. Report it through the Citizens' Service Bureau. A resident who wants a healthy city tree removed must apply for a Permit to Maintain and may be responsible for the work.
Can a tree that survived the 2025 tornado still fail?
Yes. Trees that were twisted, lost large limbs or were partly uprooted can decline and break years later. Have any tree on the edge of the path looked at if its crown is thinning.
Are the rules the same in Clayton or Kirkwood?
No. Those are separate municipalities in St. Louis County with their own ordinances, and some require permits for private trees.
Reach a tree service in St. Louis
Call to be connected with an independent tree company that works in the St. Louis area, or leave your number and one will call you back.
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