County coverage
Storm Cleanup and Tree Removal Across Harris County
Harris County holds Houston and most north side neighborhoods. Storm damage, old trees and city permit rules shape the work, and the phone is answered 24/7.
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Harris County took two big storms two months apart in 2024: the May derecho knocked out power to more than 900,000 Houston-area customers, and Hurricane Beryl followed in July. Trees that came through both can carry cracked limbs or loosened roots that are hard to see from the ground.
Local conditions
Two 2024 storms, Beaumont clay and Harris County trees
Beryl cut power to about 2.26 million CenterPoint customers, and the utility said trees had been weakened by three years of freezes, drought and heavy spring rain. Texas A&M Forest Service estimated that Beryl's wind damage affected about half the trees across the Greater Houston area, mostly older ones. Older lots deserve a storm-season walkthrough before the next season.
The soil matters too. Much of Houston sits on Beaumont Formation clays that swell when wet and shrink as they dry. In one southeast Houston case study, tree moisture demand pushed the active clay zone to about 28 feet deep. Near a slab, root pruning and a barrier can beat removal.
Then there is tallow. It made up about 23 percent of all trees in the eight-county Houston area, and its brittle wood means mid-size limbs often split off as the tree nears 15 years old. We usually suggest taking tallows out before they reach that age.
Sources: radio.kttz.org, tdworld.com, communityimpact.com, archives.datapages.com, ascelibrary.com, swamplot.com, edis.ifas.ufl.edu, houstonpermittingcenter.org, houstonpermittingcenter.org, spglobal.com
City of Houston permits for street and median trees
Inside the City of Houston, removing or trimming any tree on city property, including street rights of way and medians, needs a permit. The permit is posted 20 days before the work, and processing runs about 10 business days. Houston Urban Forestry works only on city property and points private owners to a professional tree service. We check the city limits first.
Most called-for work
Harris County jobs after two hard storm years
- Storm cleanup in north HoustonBroken limbs and split tops are the first job after a Harris County storm, before the debris blocks drives and drains.
- Tree risk checks in north HoustonOlder trees took most of Beryl's damage; a walkthrough finds cracked unions and loose root plates before the next storm.
- Getting rid of tallow treesTallow is common across the county, and its brittle limbs start splitting off as the tree nears 15 years old.
- Root barrier installationBeaumont clays swell and shrink with moisture, and a barrier keeps thirsty roots from drying the soil under a slab.
- Line-side trimming in north HoustonCenterPoint said most Beryl damage came from trees outside its rights of way, so check yard limbs near service drops.
Close by, see crews working in Houston Heights, Cypress tree removal and trimming, Humble tree removal and trimming and crews working in Klein, or the whole coverage map.
Start with the oldest and largest trees within reach of the house, since Beryl's damage fell mostly on older trees. Then check tallows, which split as they age, and pines leaning toward a roof.
Rarely. Chinese tallow has escaped cultivation around Houston, and its brittle wood sheds small and mid-size branches as the tree ages. We usually suggest removing it and planting a native shade tree in its place.
They can. Beaumont Formation clays swell when wet and shrink as they dry, and a large tree drying the soil near a slab can add to that movement. Root pruning with a barrier often protects the slab without losing the tree.
Keep people and pets away from anything touching a wire, and report downed lines to CenterPoint. Photograph the damage, then we cut, chip and haul in an order that clears doors and drives first.
Storm damage anywhere in Harris County?
Call any hour. We clear what is down, make hanging limbs safe and lay out what else needs work before the next storm.