Tree Service in Tea, SD
Tea took the strongest wind gust recorded anywhere in the Sioux Falls metro on 25 July 2026. ISA-certified arborists for tree removal, trimming, stump grinding, storm damage and emerald ash borer treatment across Tea and Lincoln County.
- ISA Certified Arborists
- Licensed & Fully Insured
- Full Cleanup, Every Job
- 24/7 Storm Response
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Tea Took the Strongest Wind in the Metro
On the evening of 25 July 2026, the National Weather Service recorded a gust of 92 mph in Tea at about 8:50 pm. That was the highest reading anywhere in the Sioux Falls metro that night, ahead of Harrisburg at 82 mph, Sioux Falls airport at 72 mph and Brandon at 69 mph.
Large trees came down across town. Roofing was stripped from homes and businesses. Tea Police reported no injuries, which given the readings was fortunate rather than typical.
Two weeks on, the obvious damage is cleared. What is left is the part that does not announce itself, and that is what this page is mostly about.
What 92 mph Actually Did in Tea
The Damage Record
The storm hit Tea harder than anywhere else in the metro. Publicly reported damage included:
- Tea Area Middle School lost a section of roof on the southwest corner, affecting four classrooms
- Legacy Elementary had a rooftop HVAC unit tipped over
- The stadium fence was blown down, bleachers on the northwest side were overturned and the ticket booth was damaged
- Bus barns lost part of their roof, scattering nails across the high school north parking lot
- Large trees toppled throughout the community
The City of Tea opened a temporary storm debris drop-off for tree branches and limbs only, open daily from 8am to sundown through 3 August 2026, and city crews collected tree debris from boulevard areas that Monday. That window has now closed, so anything still on your property is yours to deal with. Check the City of Tea website for any current arrangements, or call the Maintenance Department on 605-498-2906.
Ordinance 9.05(c): Clearance Is Your Job, Not the City's
This is the Tea rule most homeowners do not know exists. Under City of Tea Ordinance Section 9.05(c), Municipal Trees, the property owner, not the city, is responsible for keeping trees pruned so they do not:
- obstruct or shade a street light
- obstruct pedestrians on the sidewalk
- obstruct the vision of a traffic sign
- obstruct the view at any street or alley intersection
The ordinance sets specific minimum clearances for overhanging branches:
| Over | Minimum clearance |
|---|---|
| Sidewalks | 10 feet where practical |
| Streets | 12 feet |
| Truck thoroughfares | 14 to 16 feet |
Two practical points. First, a tree that shades a street light is a violation even if it is nowhere near the road. Second, storm-damaged limbs that now hang lower than they used to can put a previously compliant tree out of compliance overnight, which is worth checking after July.
Clearance pruning is straightforward work and we do it to ANSI A300 standard rather than by topping. More on how we prune, and the difference between trimming and pruning.
Official information: City of Tea ordinances and reminders.
Emerald Ash Borer in Tea
Tea is in Lincoln County, inside the South Dakota emerald ash borer quarantine. Ash wood and firewood cannot be moved out of the county. It has to be shredded, buried or burned locally, and the state guidance is simply to buy firewood where you burn it.
Ash trees are also the species least equipped to survive what happened in July. An ash already weakened by borer damage has brittle wood and a compromised root system, and 92 mph finds that out immediately. If you have ash on the property and it came through the storm, that is worth reading as a warning rather than an all-clear.
What to look for
- Canopy thinning from the top down
- D-shaped exit holes roughly an eighth of an inch across
- S-shaped tunnels under loose bark
- Heavy woodpecker activity high on the trunk
- Shoots sprouting from the base of the trunk
Full identification guide here. If the tree is worth keeping we can treat it by trunk injection on a two-year cycle. If it is not, we will say so. Treatment compared with removal.
Official information: South Dakota EAB quarantine map.
Why Tea Trees Take More Wind Than Most
The 92 mph reading was not bad luck. Tea sits on open Lincoln County prairie with very little natural windbreak, and the newest subdivisions sit furthest out on that open ground with nothing upwind of them.
Three things compound it:
- No shelter, by design. Older towns grew up inside river valleys and mature groves. Tea’s newer streets were farmland five years ago. The trees on them have never had anything blocking the wind.
- Compacted construction soil. Building traffic compresses the ground around a future tree pit. Roots then grow shallow and sideways instead of down, which is exactly the wrong root system for an 80 mph gust.
- Builder-planted stock. Trees put in to finish a lot quickly are frequently planted too deep, staked too long and never structurally pruned. All three reduce how much wind the tree can take.
The fix is not complicated and it is not expensive at this stage: correct the root flare, get the stakes off, prune out competing leaders while the cuts are still small. Doing that in years three to ten is the difference between a tree that stands up to the next 90 mph gust and one that does not. Structural pruning is the service that matters most here.
What We Handle in Tea
Tree Trimming and Pruning in Tea
Clearance pruning to meet Ordinance 9.05(c), and structural pruning on younger trees. Pruned to ANSI A300 standard. We do not top trees.
Tree Removal in Tea
Trees with rocked root plates, split unions and storm damage past saving. We section them down safely in tight subdivision side yards and haul everything out.
Stump Grinding in Tea
Ground 8 to 12 inches below grade, surface roots included. In newer Tea developments we locate irrigation and utilities first because both sit shallow.
EAB Treatment in Tea
Licensed trunk injection on a two-year cycle, plus an honest answer about whether your ash is worth treating at all.
Storm Damage Cleanup in Tea
Full cleanup plus written documentation and photographs for your insurer. Tea recorded the highest gust in the metro on 25 July.
Emergency Tree Service in Tea
Tree on the house, across the drive or into a line. We respond around the clock across Tea and Lincoln County.
A Post-Storm Walk-Round for Tea Homeowners
Fifteen minutes in your own yard, no ladder, no tools. Do this once before autumn.
- Push each trunk gently and watch the ground. If soil lifts or cracks in a ring around the base, the root plate moved in July. The tree can look perfect and still be finished.
- Stand back and check for a new lean against a fence post or downspout.
- Look up into the canopy for hung limbs that broke but never fell. They come down in the next storm, usually onto whatever is below them.
- Check every branch union where two large limbs meet for a fresh split.
- Measure your clearances. Ordinance 9.05(c) needs 10 feet over the sidewalk and 12 feet over the street. Storm-drooped limbs fail this often.
- Check the stakes on younger trees. Ties that held through 92 mph frequently cut into the bark.
Find two or three of these and it is worth a second opinion. The estimate is free and we will tell you honestly if it can wait.
Why Tea Property Owners Call Us
We Know Ordinance 9.05(c)
Clearance over sidewalks, streets and truck routes, and the street-light shading rule most people have never heard of. We prune to meet it rather than guessing.
We Were Here on 25 July
We are a local crew, not an out-of-town outfit that arrived after the storm. We were working in Tea before it and we will be here after the cleanup ends.
We Do Not Top Trees
Topping strips out a tree's structure and forces weak regrowth. In a town that just recorded 92 mph, that is the last thing you want in your yard.
Honest Treat-or-Remove Answers
Sometimes the answer is that your ash is not worth treating, or that the tree is fine and you should spend nothing at all. We would rather say that.
Licensed and Fully Insured
Ask for our South Dakota insurance certificate and ring the insurer directly. Ask every crew that knocked on your door after 25 July the same thing.
Full Cleanup After Every Job
The city debris window closed on 3 August. Everything we cut leaves with us, and the ground gets raked before we go.
Serving All of Tea and the Surrounding Lincoln County Area
We work across all of Tea, from the established streets near the original town centre out to the newest subdivisions on the open prairie edge where the wind exposure is worst.
We also cover Harrisburg, Lennox, Brandon, Crooks and Sioux Falls. The full list is on our areas we serve page.
Tea Tree Service FAQ
Something not covered here? Give us a call, we are happy to talk it through before you commit to anything.
My trees survived the 25 July storm. Do they still need looking at?
Possibly. Tea recorded a 92 mph gust at about 8:50pm on 25 July 2026, the highest reading anywhere in the Sioux Falls metro that night. The obvious breakage was cleared quickly. What remains is hung limbs in the canopy, split branch unions, and root plates that rocked loose in the ground. Push the trunk gently and watch whether the soil moves in a ring around the base. That one is invisible from a distance and it is the outcome that puts a tree on your roof next time.
Who is responsible for trimming trees over the sidewalk in Tea?
You are. City of Tea Ordinance Section 9.05(c) makes the property owner responsible for pruning so trees do not obstruct pedestrians, obstruct or shade street lights, obstruct traffic sign visibility, or block the view at a street or alley intersection. Minimum clearances are 10 feet over sidewalks where practical, 12 feet over streets, and 14 to 16 feet over truck thoroughfares.
Can a tree be a violation if it is nowhere near the road?
Yes. Ordinance 9.05(c) includes shading a street light, so a tree well inside your yard can still be out of compliance. Storm-drooped limbs are a common cause after July, because a tree that met clearance last year may not meet it now.
Are Tea ash trees in the emerald ash borer quarantine?
Yes. Tea is in Lincoln County, which is inside the South Dakota EAB quarantine. Ash wood and firewood cannot leave the county and must be shredded, buried or burned locally. Current boundaries are on the state quarantine map.
Is the city storm debris drop-off still open in Tea?
No. The City of Tea ran a temporary drop-off for tree branches and limbs only, open daily 8am to sundown through 3 August 2026, and crews collected boulevard debris that Monday. That window has closed. Check the City of Tea website or call the Maintenance Department on 605-498-2906 for current arrangements. Anything we cut on your property leaves with us regardless.
Why do trees in newer Tea subdivisions seem to fail more?
Three reasons stack up. The newest streets sit furthest out on open Lincoln County prairie with no natural windbreak. Construction traffic compacts the soil, so roots grow shallow and sideways rather than down. And builder-planted stock is often set too deep, staked too long and never structurally pruned. All three reduce how much wind a tree can take, and all three are correctable while the tree is young.
Get Your Trees Looked At in Tea
Give us a call or send the form. We will come out, look at the trees, and tell you what they actually need, including when that is nothing at all. Estimates are free and done on site.