Storm Lake tree service changes hands after 40 years, Kahl retires

Jerry Kahl is handing Jerry’s Tree Service to a longtime employee, a move meant to keep tree work, equipment and local expertise in the Storm Lake area after four decades in business.

Kahl plans to retire July 1 after 40 years in the tree-pruning and removal trade. Sergio Torres of Newell, who has worked for Kahl for 14 years, is taking over the operation and buying the tree equipment. The business will continue as Torres Tree Care, preserving the same core service for customers who have relied on the crew for storm cleanup, trimming and removals across Storm Lake and nearby towns.

For Kahl, the change is less an ending than a transfer of responsibility. He said this year marks two milestones, 40 years in business and his 70th birthday. Even as he steps back from day-to-day tree work, he is not leaving the community behind. Kahl will keep the building at 824 Vestal St. and the adjacent Synergy Art Gallery, continue building furniture, launch a tree consulting business and start a tree nursery.

That matters in a county where trees face repeated pressure from wind, ice and pests. Iowa officials confirmed emerald ash borer in all 99 counties in October 2024, and state forestry sources say the invasive insect feeds under the bark of ash trees, kills them and has already caused major tree loss across Iowa. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says EAB can attack ash trees of any size or age and can kill them within two years of infestation, making hazard-tree advice and treatment decisions especially relevant for property owners.

Kahl plans to mark the transition with a retirement-related Synergy Art Sale & Arboriculture Event May 30-31 at Synergy Art Gallery. He is scheduled to speak May 30 from 1 to 2 p.m. on tree problem diagnosis and treatment, hazard-tree evaluations and remediation options, tree selection and landscape placement, and the current status of emerald ash borer and injection results. Attendees will receive a free potted tree or birch planter, and the event will feature artwork from several local artists.

The handoff also preserves continuity in a business that has been part of local life for decades. Business listings show Jerry’s Tree Service has operated in pruning and trimming since at least 1987, and earlier Storm Lake reporting showed Torres working alongside Kahl on storm-damage tree removal. That familiarity suggests the change in ownership is designed to keep trusted service, and local jobs tied to it, rooted in Buena Vista County rather than lost to a larger outside company.