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Tree Trimming in Grizzly Flats

Up the mountain from Camino, Grizzly Flats is on our map. Phone (530) 248-6054 and tell us what pines, cedars and oaks you have. A pro who knows the climb will come out and see them.

The town

A mining camp on a flat

Wikipedia puts Grizzly Flats at 3,868 feet, southeast of Camino. The 2020 census counted 1,093 people. The name goes back to 1850, when prospectors were surprised by a grizzly bear there.

Blazes hit the original camp in 1866, and hit it again in 1869. In our own time, the Caldor Fire burned some 500 buildings in and around town on August 17, 2021. That is heavy history for a small place, and it ties trees to fire in people's minds.

After a fire

Looking at the trees that are left

After a fire nearby, it makes sense to have the trees near your house checked. We can't judge that from a website. A pro has to walk the lot and look at each one.

What we can say comes from the sources. PG&E says its own tree work includes trimming or removing dead, dying and hazardous trees. That is a good checklist for your own yard too. Is the tree dead? Is it dying? Could it hurt something if it fell?

UC also says native bark beetles tend to choose trees that drought, disease or damage have weakened. A tree hurt by heat or a nearby fire might qualify. Check the low trunk for pitch tubes, which UC calls a mix of sap and boring dust.

If the trunk of a pine is infested, UC says the tree should be removed promptly. If only branches are infested, those can be pruned and disposed of. A pro can sort out which one yours is.

Timing at altitude

Seasons at 3,868 feet

Up here winter is the real thing, and the calendar still rules. Beetles fly from February to mid-October, so UC says no pine pruning then. Fall through January is your window.

That window is also good for snow prep. Illinois Extension says to remove weak, narrow-angled, V-shaped crotches before winter. Our snow-load page has the full walk-around list.

And if you stack wood, mind the piles. UC says not to pile unseasoned, freshly cut wood near woody landscape plants, and not to move firewood around.

Prices

What it costs

Tall, steep, hard-to-reach trees cost the most. Fixr lists the top range for an extra large tree of 50-100 feet at $300-$1,800. For pines, LawnStarter says $210-$1,630. Small jobs, like taking out dead wood, run $176-$428 at Homeyou.

Narrow mountain roads can add time. The pro will ask about your drive and your slope before quoting.

Mountain roads

Plan around winter access

Up on the mountain, a snowy road can stop a truck. That means storm-day repairs are hard to book. Thumbtack notes that emergency tree calls often cost extra, so the fall walk-around really does pay off.

Book in fall, while the roads are dry. Describe your driveway, any gates and the slope, so the pro can plan the truck and chipper. If a storm beats you to it, call anyway and we'll say what can be done.

Close by

Nearby

Close by are Pollock Pines, Sly Park and Somerset. See beetles and mistletoe, or the Camino home page.