Tree Service in Henderson, TX

The county seat in the middle of Rusk County

Henderson is the county seat of Rusk County, and it sits close to the county’s center on U.S. Highway 259. The town was laid out in 1843 and named for James Pinckney Henderson, the first governor of Texas. The Texas State Historical Association notes that the East Texas oil field, found near Henderson in 1930, took the population from about 3,000 to 10,000 in three years.

Rusk County itself is close to half forest. The Handbook of Texas lists pine, post oak, blackjack oak and hickory as common upland trees, with oak, ash and walnut in the bottoms. In practice, that means tall pines over rooftops in town and thick hardwood draws on the acreage outside it.

Henderson’s tree code, in plain terms

Henderson regulates public trees more than private ones. Chapter 96 of the city code, adopted in January 2016, covers trees on city property and rights-of-way. Here is what it means for a homeowner:

• You need written permission from the city’s public services director to remove or damage a tree on public property.
• Topping a public tree is prohibited, and public tree work must follow the ANSI A300 pruning standard.
• A dead, diseased or hazardous tree on private property can be declared a nuisance, and the owner pays to remove or treat it.
• The zoning code says no tree in the right-of-way comes out without approval from the city manager or city council.
• Violations are a Class C misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500.

No permit for taking down a tree inside your own lot lines turned up. If the trunk sits near the curb or sidewalk, call City Hall before any cutting starts. This is general information, not legal advice.

If a tree is on a line, call SWEPCO first

The City of Henderson lists Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) as the city’s electric provider and sends outage reports to SWEPCO. Never let anyone climb, cut or pull a tree touching a line until the utility has made it safe.

If your home is outside city limits, check your electric bill: the Henderson Economic Development Corporation says service in the area comes from SWEPCO and Rusk County Electric Cooperative (outages 855-945-3520), and for hazards on poles and wires SWEPCO lists 1-888-218-3919. If a limb has come down across a line near your house, request a call back once SWEPCO has the line handled.

Tornadoes on record around Henderson

Henderson has had at least three confirmed tornadoes nearby since 2015, and each one brought trees down.

Date	What the National Weather Service found	Where
May 26, 2015	Trees snapped and pulled out of the ground along a path up to about 500 yards wide	Starting 8 to 10 miles southwest of Henderson (KLTV)
May 2022	A tornado rated at least EF-2 in the early survey, plus an EF-1 near Mount Enterprise	East of Henderson (KLTV)
July 8, 2024	EF-0 from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl, 85 mph winds, 3.73 mile path	Along South Highway 259 south of town (KLTV)

Wind damage does not always show up right away. A pine that took a twist in a storm can crack or lean weeks later, so have storm-hit trees near the house checked even if they look fine.

Getting rid of limbs and brush

For small jobs, the city’s code enforcement page says Republic Services picks up limbs if you bundle them with rope or twine at no more than 35 pounds each. You need to schedule it at least 24 hours ahead. Full removals and storm cleanup produce far more than that, so ask your tree company whether hauling is part of the quote.

Burning follows two sets of rules. Inside the city, outdoor burning has to meet state environmental rules under the fire code. Out in the county, the Rusk County burn ban changes with the weather (the commissioners court issued one on August 4, 2026), so check the Texas A&M Forest Service map first.

Stumps, lots and rural acreage

After a removal inside town, most people want the ground level again for mowing or replanting, which is what stump grinding in Henderson is for. Out on Rusk County acreage, the work is more often clearing brush, hardwood thickets and young pine for a pad site, fence line or pasture, which is land clearing rather than single-tree removal.

Henderson sits about 17 miles from Kilgore, 27 miles from Longview and 42 miles from Tyler by road, according to distance-cities.com.