Most people searching for tree service in The Woodlands, TX already know the trees are the point. The tall loblolly pines and oaks are why many families moved here. They are also why a storm night here sounds different, why pine needles fill the gutters, and why removing a healthy tree is a decision the whole community has a say in.
This page is a plain guide to tree work in The Woodlands: the covenant rule, dead and hazard trees, the reserves behind so many back fences, pickup rules and power lines. Tree Service Houston TX is not a tree company and sends no one to your yard. It is a free number. Call (346) 680-8916, tell the automated assistant your village or ZIP and what the tree is doing, and the call goes through to an independent, locally owned company that serves The Woodlands. That company sees the tree, sets its own price and does the job if you hire it.
Why The Woodlands has so many trees
The forest here is not leftover luck. The ground under The Woodlands was timberland, owned for years by the Grogan-Cochran Lumber Company, which ran a mill on the property. Grogan's Mill, the first village, opened on October 19, 1974, and takes its name from that company.
Developer George Mitchell wanted a community built with the land rather than over it. In 1970 the firm of Wallace, McHarg, Roberts and Todd, led by landscape architect Ian McHarg, author of Design With Nature, began an ecological study of the site with geologists and hydrologists. The plan that followed let soils and drainage decide where houses and roads went, and kept forest along streets, in floodplains and between neighborhoods.
Researchers who later compared The Woodlands with nearby Houston communities found less stormwater runoff in 100 year storms, less forest fragmentation and land surface temperatures about 2 degrees Celsius lower on average. Trees were central to Mitchell's idea of a forested town, and for the community's 50th anniversary in 2024, a large tree was planted in each of its eight residential villages.
The covenant rule, before anyone starts a saw
The Woodlands is a township rather than a city, so there is no city tree permit. What applies instead are the covenants and standards The Woodlands Township administers, which bind every property owner.
A live tree six inches or larger
Submit an application before removing any live tree six inches in diameter or larger. Forms are on the Township's Covenant Administration Application Assistant. Some requests are pre-approved under the standards, some get a quick one-step review, and bigger projects go to the Residential Design Review Committee for your village.
A dead tree
The covenants require owners to remove dead trees, and that does not need pre-approval. The Township asks to be told, at 281-210-3900 or by online service request.
Planning an addition or a new home instead? The Residential Development Standards call for a property survey at the concept phase showing every tree six inches or more across, measured two feet above grade, marked as staying or going.
Living next to a forest reserve
Many lots here back onto wooded reserves: land along roadways, cul-de-sacs and drainage ways, and between properties. It runs a hazard tree program under its Integrated Forest Management Plan, which inventories risky trees, rates them on a hazard chart and tags them.
Three rules matter when you hire tree work near a reserve:
- The Township allows residents to keep up a trimming and pruning buffer of up to three feet into an adjacent reserve. That does not include removing trees, and anything deeper into the reserve is a matter for the Township.
- Dead trees, limbs and underbrush must not be dumped into the reserve. The Township says that creates an eyesore and a fire hazard.
- If a tree in the reserve looks dead or dangerous, report it to the Township rather than paying someone to remove it.
What the trees here have been through
The Woodlands forest is under real strain. The Township reported losing 7,098 trees across the community in 2024, mostly to invasive species and weather, according to its chief operating officer. Its yearly tree removal costs roughly tripled to more than $2 million, a jump officials tied to drought and severe weather.
Hurricane Beryl on July 8, 2024 added to it, damaging Township parks and pathways along with trees. On July 18 the Township board approved $2 million for debris removal, and in September Montgomery County authorized another $3 million for a final storm debris pass in The Woodlands and River Plantation.
The Township is replanting. Since 2023 its board has put $1 million a year into reforestation, aiming at close to 6,000 trees a year, up from about 3,000 before, and it treats invasive vines that weaken trees. Recent plantings have included oaks, loblolly and longleaf pines, wax myrtle, yaupon, green ash and red maple.
For homeowners the lesson is simple. A tall pine or oak that has been leaning, thinning or losing bark since the last drought or storm deserves a look before hurricane season opens on June 1. An arborist assessment can tell you whether it is a candidate for removal or just needs pruning.
Pickup, power and the right person to call
| Situation | Who handles it |
|---|---|
| A live tree on your lot, six inches or larger, needs to come down | You apply through Township Covenant Administration, then hire a tree company |
| A dead tree on your lot | You, through a tree company you hire; no pre-approval, but tell the Township |
| A dead or hazardous tree in a Township reserve | The Woodlands Township, 281-210-3900 or an online service request |
| Limbs near power lines in most Montgomery County villages | Entergy Texas |
| Limbs near power lines in Creekside Park (Harris County) and part of Sterling Ridge | CenterPoint Energy; check your bill |
| Small loads of limbs | Weekly yard trimmings pickup, or the drop-off behind Bear Branch Recreation Center (Wednesdays 4 to 7 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) |
| A line is down or sparking | 911 and your utility; stay well back |
Pine needles, bundles and the curb
Trash and yard trimmings collection is a no-charge service the Township provides through its contracted hauler. Yard trimmings go out once a week on your regular service day, at the curb by 7 a.m. and at least 4 feet from the carts. Grass and leaves go in compostable or paper bags or an open container. Branches have to be 4 inches across or less, cut to 4 feet, tied in bundles no higher than 4 feet, and kept to 40 pounds each.
That works for a pruning job on a few low limbs. A pine removal produces logs and brush far beyond those limits, so when you compare quotes for tree removal or tree trimming, ask what each company does with the wood. The tree removal cost guide explains why hauling changes the price.
A tree service call from your village
Whether you live in Grogan's Mill, Panther Creek, Cochran's Crossing, Indian Springs, Alden Bridge, Sterling Ridge, College Park or Creekside Park, the call works the same way. Mention the village, whether the tree is alive or dead, and whether it sits near a reserve or a line. That helps the company you reach plan the visit and tell you if a covenant application is needed first.
- Check the tree's statusLive and six inches or more across means an application before removal. Dead means no pre-approval.
- Call the free lineThe assistant answers any hour and puts you through to a local company, or passes your details along for a call back.
- Get a quote on siteThe company looks at the tree, the access and the debris, then gives its own price. You decide.
- Check the paperworkTexas does not license tree trimming or removal, so ask for proof before work starts.
Check the company yourself. Texas has no state license for tree trimming or tree removal, so a business card proves very little. Ask the company for a certificate of general liability insurance sent by its insurance agent, proof of workers' compensation coverage, and the ISA certification number of its arborist. A company that sprays or injects trees for hire needs a pesticide license from the Texas Department of Agriculture or its Structural Pest Control Service. You can confirm a certification with the ISA's credential lookup (opens in a new tab).
Not sure what the tree needs? Call and describe it. The company you are put through to looks at the tree and tells you the price before any work starts.
How a call from The Woodlands works
- Call any hourAn automated assistant answers (346) 680-8916 and asks what kind of tree work you need.
- Describe the jobGive your name, a callback number, your city or ZIP and what the tree is doing, including anything on a roof, a car or a line.
- Get put throughThe call goes to an independent, locally owned tree service company, which hears a short summary before it picks up.
- Deal with them directlyThat company looks at the tree, quotes, does the work and is paid by you. If it cannot answer, it gets your details to call back.
How this line works: Tree Service Houston TX is a free phone line, not a tree service company. It does not trim, remove, quote or schedule tree work and holds no license or arborist certification. Calls are transferred to independent, locally owned tree service companies in the Houston area. Those companies may pay Tree Service Houston TX a referral fee. You never pay the line. How it works.
Services and guides for The Woodlands
- Tree Removal
- Tree Trimming
- Emergency and Storm Tree Removal
- Tree Debris Removal and Hauling
- Arborist Assessment and Tree Care
- Hurricane Season Tree Prep
- Tree Removal Cost in Houston
See every town on the Houston-area service areas page.