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Tree Service in Pollock Pines

Up in Pollock Pines, 95726? We cover you. Call (530) 429-7647 and we'll find a local tree pro who's used to working on the ridge.

We sort out who can come and when. The pro gives you the price.

A timber town on a ridge

Pollock Pines started as a lumber town, and it still looks like one. It sits along a heavily wooded ridgetop on the south side of the South Fork of the American River, at about 3,980 feet. About 7,112 people lived here in the 2020 census.

The trees are the whole point of living here. They're also the biggest worry. Tall conifers packed close to homes, on slopes, next to narrow roads. When one goes, it tends to hit something.

It's about 13 miles east of Placerville on Highway 50. When it's snowing, give a pro a bit more time to get up the hill.

The history runs deep here too. Twelve Mile House, one of the original Pony Express stations, stood in Pollock Pines. Sportsman's Hall opened on that spot in 1852. On April 4, 1860, a rider coming up from Placerville handed off the mail there.

Snow, and a lot of it

Pollock Pines gets anywhere from 6 inches to 6 feet of snow a year. Heavy, wet snow is what breaks tops out of pines and bends whole trees over.

The trouble often shows up after the storm. A top that snapped but stayed hung up in the branches. A tree that bent and didn't come back. Roots loosened in soaked ground. Look up before you shovel near any big tree.

If a tree comes down on a line in the snow, stay back. Call 911, and treat the wire as live.

Fire on the ridge

The area counts as a very high fire hazard severity zone. The ridge south of Highway 50 got state grant money to thin the brush and trees.

People here remember the King Fire. It started September 13, 2014, and burned 97,717 acres. It destroyed 80 buildings, including homes and outbuildings near Pollock Pines.

Trees that came through a fire can stay weak for years. And dead pines near a home are a double problem. They're fuel in fire season and a falling risk in a storm. The county's 100-foot defensible space rule applies here, like everywhere else outside city limits.

Costs on the ridge

Pines up here are often tall, so prices start higher. One national guide puts trees over 100 feet at $1,300 to $2,000 to take down. Crane jobs run $1,500 to $2,500. Steep ground and tight spots between cabins add time.

Dead trees can be cheaper, around $75 to $400 in one guide, but not if they're too rotten to climb.

How fast

After a snowstorm, every pro on the hill has a list. We'll try to get you on one, and we'll tell you if it's going to be a few days. For a tree on the house or across your only road out, we push hardest.

Nearby

• Camino tree service
• Smith Flat tree service
• Dead and burned tree removal
• Defensible space clearing
• All towns we serve