In the path of the May 16, 2025 tornado

Tree Removal in Richmond Heights, MO

Finding the storm damage that is still hiding in the canopy, and removing what cannot be saved.

We come out and look before we price, anywhere in City of St. Louis and St. Louis County
Each item on the estimate priced on its own
We confirm where the wood goes before work begins

The Storm Is Over. The Damage Is Not.

Tree Removal in Richmond Heights has been dominated since May 2025 by one event. The EF3 tornado that touched down in Clayton just east of Interstate 170 on May 16, 2025 moved directly through Richmond Heights before crossing the Fontbonne University campus and heading into St. Louis city. With peak winds estimated at 152 mph and a path up to 1.8 miles wide, it broke and twisted trees across neighborhoods that had been shaded for generations. Much of the obvious damage, the trunks on roofs and the trees blocking streets, was cleared in the first weeks. What remains is harder to see.

The damage you cannot see from the lawn

Tornado winds twist trees as well as push them. That twisting can crack a trunk along its grain, split a branch union high in the crown, or tear roots on one side without tipping the tree. In summer, a full canopy hides most of this. These are the signs we look for in Richmond Heights trees that survived the storm:

Long vertical cracks in the trunk, sometimes weeping sap
Hanging or broken branches caught in the upper crown
Bark torn away in strips on the windward side
A lean that was not there before May 2025, or soil lifted at the base
Dieback the following season on one side of the tree

A tree with one of these may still be saved with pruning. A tree with several usually should come down, and planned removal is safer and less expensive than cleanup after it fails.

A hilly, built-up city

Richmond Heights covers only about 2.3 square miles, with 4,899 housing units and 9,286 residents counted in 2020. According to an account cited on Wikipedia, the name came from Robert E. Lee, who thought the terrain looked like Richmond, Virginia. Rolling ground and close-set houses mean many removals here involve trees on a slope above a house or garage. We rig limbs and lower them under control rather than letting them fall downhill.

Population and housing

The city's population peaked at 15,622 in 1960 and grew again from 8,603 in 2010 to 9,286 in 2020. The neighborhoods that grew up during the early 20th century streetcar era and the post-war years have the large, older trees that are most likely to have been damaged in the storm.

Getting an assessment

Call (314) 668-1571 or fill out the form. If your trees were in the tornado's path and you are not sure whether they are sound, we will walk them with you and give you a written estimate for any pruning or removal that makes sense. Get a free estimate

Richmond Heights and the 2025 Tornado

Direct tornado path. The May 16, 2025 tornado touched down in Clayton just east of I-170 and moved through Richmond Heights and the Fontbonne University campus before entering St. Louis city. It was rated EF3 with peak winds of 152 mph.
Widest in the region since 1950. The National Weather Service measured the tornado at 3,168 yards, or 1.8 miles, wide, the widest in the region since 1950, with a damage swath over two miles once straight-line winds are included.
Small, dense city. Richmond Heights had 9,286 residents and 4,899 housing units in 2020 on about 2.3 square miles. Its population peaked at 15,622 in 1960.

Emergency Storm Tree Removal in St. Louis, MO

Our Services in Richmond Heights, MO

Richmond Heights Questions

Our tree looked fine after the tornado, but now one side is dying. Why?

Twisting winds often tear roots or crack the trunk without knocking the tree over, and the damage shows up a season or two later as dieback. A tree that is dying back on one side after a storm should be inspected. It may need major pruning or removal.

Is it worth keeping a tree that lost its top in the storm?

Usually not for a large shade tree. Without its central leader, the tree regrows clusters of weakly attached sprouts around the break, and decay sets in at the wound. Smaller trees sometimes recover with good pruning.

Can you remove a tree on the slope above my garage?

Yes. On a slope we lower each piece with ropes so nothing rolls or slides toward the building. The trunk is cut into short rounds that can be moved safely.

Should I wait until winter to have storm-damaged trees checked?

Not if anything is hanging or cracked over a house, a walkway or a driveway; that needs attention now. For trees that look sound but were in the tornado's path, a second look after the leaves drop is useful, because cracks and broken limbs in the upper crown are much easier to see on bare branches.

Free Estimates in Richmond Heights, MO

Free assessments and estimates throughout Richmond Heights.

Call (314) 668-1571 Free Estimate