Tree Trimming in Pollock Pines
Yes, we go up to Pollock Pines, ZIP 95726. Call us now at (530) 238-3614 and we'll have a local tree pro come out and look at the pines around your place.
We set up the visit, and the pro tells you what it'll cost.
Up on the ridge
Pollock Pines sits at about 3,980 feet, on a heavily timbered ridgetop above the South Fork of the American River. It started as a lumber town. The name comes from H.R. Pollock, a lumberman who came around 1909 and built a sawmill. The 2020 census counted 7,112 people.
History runs deep here too. Sportsman's Hall opened in 1852 and was a Pony Express station, also called Twelve-Mile House. The site is California Historical Landmark #704, and the place still operates today.
Snow varies a lot up here. Yearly snowfall runs anywhere from about 6 inches to 6 feet.
Even the weather service treats it differently. Its forecast for Pollock Pines comes from a different zone, CAZ135, than the one for Diamond Springs.
A very high fire hazard area
Pollock Pines is considered a very high fire hazard severity zone. In 2014 the King Fire burned 97,717 acres in the Eldorado National Forest and on private land. It destroyed 80 buildings, including homes near Pollock Pines.
The town has also gotten state grant money to cut back brush and trees on the ridge south of Highway 50. So fire work up here isn't a someday thing.
For trimming, the big job is usually limbing up. A California wildfire program guide says lower limbs of trees you keep should come off to 6 to 15 feet above the ground. Steeper slopes and worse fire danger call for the higher end of that range. For smaller trees, it says to take off the lower third of the branches.
Next to the house, the same guide says to keep branches 10 feet above the roof and 10 feet from the chimney and stovepipe.
Pines, beetles and timing
With so many pines, beetle season rules the calendar. UC says don't prune pines from February to mid-October. That leaves late fall and winter.
Snow complicates that, so plan ahead. A pro may want to book before the roads get bad.
Keep an eye on the base of big pines too. UC describes the red turpentine beetle, which goes after the lowest 2 to 8 feet of the trunk and the big roots. Look for pitch tubes on the bark, little globs of sap mixed with boring dust. Trees stressed by drought are the ones beetles go for.
If you trim beetle-hit limbs, UC says to chip them or get rid of them quickly. Leaving them piled up lets new beetles fly out.
What trimming runs up here
Tall pines take climbing or a lift, and that costs more. Fixr lists pine trimming at $200 to $1,800 nationally, and trees 50 to 100 feet at $300 to $1,800. HomeGuide puts trees over 60 feet at $1,000 to $2,500 or more.
The pro checks your trees and gives you the price first. You decide from there.
Pollock Pines questions
Will a tree pro come up to Pollock Pines?
Yes. Call (530) 238-3614 with your road, and we'll find a pro who works the ridge.
How high should I limb up my pines?
A California wildfire program guide says 6 to 15 feet off the ground, with the higher end for steep lots and high fire danger.
Can I prune my pines in summer?
Better to wait. UC says pines should sit out February through mid-October, when bark beetles fly. Dead limbs are the exception.
Nearby
Down the hill: tree trimming in Camino and tree trimming in Somerset. See crown thinning and raising, Diamond Springs, or all towns.