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Tree Removal in Lotus

Yes, we help in Lotus. Call (530) 316-5144. Tell us about the tree, and we'll handle finding a pro for the river country north of Placerville.

Lotus in a nutshell

Lotus is an unincorporated community about 1 mile west of Coloma. It sits low, at around 722 feet.

Lotus is on its third name. Folks who settled here in 1849 called it Marshall, after the gold finder from Coloma. Statehood in 1850 brought a new name, Uniontown. Then a post office opened in 1881 under the name Lotus, and that one stuck.

Picture a boom town. Estimates put the peak crowd at 8,000 to 10,000 people. Back then it had its own store and dance hall, and many Chinese residents. These days the tourists mostly stop in Coloma instead.

The fire station on Firehouse Road

Fire Station 74 is on Firehouse Road, number 5122, and it answers for Coloma as well as Lotus. Nobody's posted there full time. The district keeps its swift water rescue boat parked inside, and ambulances use it as a cover point.

That's a handy reminder of where you live. River country brings river risks, and fire risk too.

A Lotus lot, before fire season

Lotus falls under county Chapter 8.09: a 100-foot cleared zone around structures, and as much as 300 when an inspector's report calls for it. Here's a practical order of work.

1. Clean the roof and gutters of leaves and needles.
2. Clear the first 5 feet around the house. The county fire district calls that Zone 0 and wants it non-combustible.
3. Cut grass and weeds low out to 100 feet.
4. Get rid of anything dead near the house, whole trees or single limbs.
5. Limb up the trees you keep, so grass fire can't climb in.
6. Thin brush on the slope, starting closest to the house.

Steps 1 to 3 are often things you can do yourself. Steps 4 and 5 are where a tree pro earns the money.

Photo spot: a small Lotus home with a cleared ring of ground and limbed-up oaks around it, plain drawing

The oak question in Lotus

Got big oaks on your Lotus lot? Out here, the county oak chapter covers native oaks on private land at or below 4,000 feet. A few cases skip its permit:

• Keeping up your existing defensible space.
• A dead or dying oak that a fire official inspects and documents in writing.
• An oak knocked down or damaged by a storm, flood or fire.
• Minor trimming, like taking off dead limbs.

Anything else? Ask before the oak comes down. Our permit page has more.

What tree work costs around Lotus

LawnStarter's national range is $385 to $1,070 a tree. Fixr puts a small tree under 30 feet at $150 to $400.

A fallen tree is often the cheap one. LawnStarter says removing one already on the ground averages $85 to $300.

Several trees in one visit is usually smarter than one at a time. Group them if you can.

Ready for the visit?

• List the trees and what they're near.
• Flag the oaks.
• Check for wasp nests and poison oak around the work area.
• Tell us about tight driveways or low wires.
• Decide about the stump and the wood ahead of time.

Nearby

One mile east: tree removal in Coloma. South a bit: tree removal in Gold Hill. Down Lotus Road toward the highway: tree removal in Rescue. Home base: tree removal in Placerville. And the master list: every town we serve.