Tree Service in Longwood, FL

Longwood is the home of Big Tree Park, where The Senator, a bald cypress estimated at about 3,500 years old, stood until January 2012. That history gives Tree Service in Longwood a little extra weight. People here understand that a big tree is irreplaceable on any human timescale, and most of our Longwood calls are about keeping mature trees healthy rather than clearing them.

What happened to The Senator

The Senator was about 165 feet tall until a 1925 hurricane took it down to roughly 125 feet. On January 16, 2012, a fire started at the top and burned the tree from the inside out, like a chimney, until it collapsed; charred remains about 20 to 25 feet tall still stand. Its companion, Lady Liberty, is about 89 feet tall, 10 feet in diameter and estimated at 2,000 years old. A clone of The Senator called The Phoenix was planted in the park when it reopened in March 2014.

Storm winds in Longwood

Hurricane Charley in August 2004 produced a 97 mph gust in Longwood, winds described as some of the highest ever recorded from a hurricane in the area. Most yard trees are not ancient cypress, and many will not shrug off that kind of wind. Pre-season pruning focuses on removing deadwood, reducing long end-heavy limbs over the house, and checking old pruning wounds for decay.

A small city that grew out

Longwood was established in 1878. In 1959 it had just over 1,000 residents inside a boundary about a mile on each side; annexation and growth brought it to 15,087 people by 2020. By 2000 the city had revitalized its downtown historic district. Lots range from older in-town parcels to subdivisions like The Woodlands, built on the site of a former grass airstrip.

Owners who stay

Census QuickFacts shows a 69.4% owner-occupied rate and 88.3% of residents in the same house a year earlier, with about one in five residents 65 or older. Many of our Longwood customers have lived with the same oaks for decades and want an honest opinion about whether a tree is worth saving.

Bald cypress at home

The Senator was a bald cypress, and the species shows up in Longwood yards too, especially near ponds and wet ground. Cypress handle wind well and rarely need much pruning, but their knees (woody root projections) and shallow roots can make mowing and stump removal harder. If a cypress has to come out, we plan the grinding around those roots.

Our Longwood work

• Health and hazard checks on large oaks and cypress
• Crown cleaning and reduction before hurricane season
• Removal of trees with advanced decay or root failure
• Stump grinding and cleanup in historic-district and suburban yards
• Storm response for limbs on roofs, fences and cars

Call (407) 641-4203 or use the form to request a visit. Get a free estimate