The White River slows to a pond right at White Cloud, and the trees along that water — silver maple, ash, big cottonwood — take the brunt of every wind that comes down the valley. Near's Tree Service works the riverside lots and the sandy back lots east of town: tree removal when a leaner is aimed at the house, tree trimming and pruning to bring a crowded yard tree back into shape. Spring runoff softens the ground and gives up the shallow-rooted ones; storm damage cleanup after that is trunks bucked, brush chipped and the turf left without a rut. Nothing beats the walk-around at the end, when the ground is bare and the sound of the river is the only thing still running. White Cloud, Fremont, Hesperia, Newaygo and Big Rapids.