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Tree Trimming in Pollock Pines

Up the highway, Pollock Pines is a town we serve. Ring (530) 248-6054 and say what your pines are doing. We'll ask which road you're on, so the pro we book knows the climb.

High up

A ridge town with real snow

Wikipedia puts Pollock Pines at 3,980 feet, in the Sierra Nevada. That's a thousand feet above Camino's average. Snowfall runs from 6 inches to 6 feet in a year, so some winters are nothing and some are big.

The town stands about 13 miles up U.S. 50 from Placerville, on a thickly wooded ridgetop. Wikipedia rates its fire hazard severity as very high, and notes that state grants paid for thinning plants along the ridge south of the highway.

The old stage stop Sportsman's Hall, first opened in 1852, is still going here. That's a lot of years of people looking at the same tall trees.

Pines in winter

Pines, beetles and the calendar

Big conifers are the story in this town. For pines, the UC bark beetle guide is firm. Do not prune from February to mid-October. A fresh cut in beetle season is an invitation.

That leaves a fall and early winter window. It also happens to be the time to fix snow trouble. Walk the yard, look for dead limbs and tight forks, and have a pro handle the high ones.

The western pine beetle is a ponderosa pest, says UC, and the mountain pine beetle goes after lodgepole and sugar pines. A pine that's already stressed by drought is the usual target. If your tree has pitch tubes low on the trunk, those are blobs of sap and boring dust. Call a pro soon.

Fire history

Why folks here think about fire

The 2014 King Fire scorched 97,717 acres, part national forest and part private land. Eighty structures were lost near Pollock Pines, homes and outbuildings included, and arson was the cause. During the 2021 Caldor Fire, Wikipedia says, the town itself lost no structures.

After fires like that, people look hard at the trees close to the house. Dead branches, thick needle litter and low limbs are all fair to ask a pro about. Our beetle page covers the dead-tree side.

Prices

What pine work costs

Pines are tall, so they sit at the higher end. Fixr lists pine trimming at $200-$1,800. LawnStarter lists $210-$1,630. A small, easy tree lands near the bottom. A 70-foot pine on a steep slope runs toward the top.

Wires can push a quote up. LawnStarter says extra care near lines costs more. These are national ranges and not offers, so the pro sets the real number.

A yearly routine

A ridge lot, one chore per season

Here is a plain routine for a lot on the ridge. In October, when the pine window opens, walk the property and mark the dead limbs. Through winter, book the cuts. When snow lands, brush the low branches from the bottom up, as NC State Extension says to, and leave any ice alone.

In spring, look for yellow needles and for pitch tubes on the trunk. Then start again. Four short chores a year beat one big emergency in a storm. And with snowfall that can range from a dusting to six feet, no two winters ask the same of your trees.

Close by

Nearby

Next door: tree trimming in Sly Park, Grizzly Flats and Placerville. See snow-load pruning, the Camino home page, or all towns.