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Tree Removal in Pollock Pines

Up on the ridge in Pollock Pines? You're covered. Call (530) 316-5144. We'll look for a pro used to ridge-top pines and book the visit.

Big timber, high fire risk

Head up Highway 50 about 13 miles past Placerville and you're in Pollock Pines. It sits at around 3,980 feet in the Sierra Nevada. About 7,112 people lived here at the 2020 census.

Thick timber covers the ridge the town is built on, with the river's South Fork down below to the north. Per Wikipedia, the area rates "very high" for fire hazard severity. That label shapes almost every tree decision up here.

Sawdust built this place. H.R. Pollock showed up around 1909, put up a mill, and the town ended up wearing his name.

The King Fire started here

On September 13, 2014, the King Fire started along King of the Mountain Road in Pollock Pines. It was set on purpose. Over the next few weeks it burned 97,717 acres, mostly in the Eldorado National Forest, and destroyed 80 structures.

Seven years later, the Caldor Fire started south of town. Pollock Pines was ordered to evacuate on August 17, 2021. Wikipedia says the town itself was spared any structure damage.

Two big fires in seven years. If your lot backs up to the forest, take defensible space seriously.

Photo spot: a house on a forested ridge with pines thinned and limbed up around it, plain drawing

Snow is part of the deal

Snow totals swing wildly up here, from 6 inches in a light year to 6 feet in a big one. Wet snow piles weight on pine and cedar limbs. Tops can snap. Trees can tip over when the ground is soaked.

After a big storm, walk the lot and check:

• Hanging limbs caught up in other branches. Stay out from under them.
• Cracks where a big limb joins the trunk.
• Soil heaved up on one side of a leaning tree.
• Trees bent over the roof, the deck or the driveway.
• Limbs resting on the service line.

Stay clear of anything on a line. Call the utility.

The 4,000-foot line

Here's a detail that's easy to miss. The county oak chapter covers private land at or below 4,000 feet. With an elevation near 3,980 feet, the town falls just inside it. So if you've got black oaks mixed in with the pines, ask about the oak rules first.

Fire help close by

Station 17, at 6430 Pony Express Trail, serves Pollock Pines. Someone's on duty there day and night. Station 18, out on Sly Park Road, serves Sierra Springs and Sly Park Hills.

Clearing questions? Start by calling the district.

What tree work costs up here

Ridge jobs tend to be bigger. Tall pines, steep lots and snow-season access all add up. National guides give you a feel:

• Large tree, 60 to 100 feet: $900 to $1,200, says Fixr.
• Very large tree over 100 feet: $1,300 to $2,000, also Fixr.
• Crane-assisted removal: $1,500 to $2,500.

Several dead pines in one spot? Ask to have them all done in one trip. It usually beats paying for the truck to come back.

Checklist for a Pollock Pines lot

• Count the dead and dying pines within 100 feet of the house.
• Mark the ones that could reach the roof, the drive or the road.
• Check for black oaks in the mix.
• Clear snow and ice from the driveway before the visit.
• Plan for the wood: chips, haul-off or firewood rounds.

Nearby

Downhill on 50 you'll reach tree removal in Camino. Off to the south: tree removal in Somerset. The county seat: tree removal in Placerville. Fire hit your trees? Read burned tree removal. Or browse all our towns.