You are here: Start > Kinds of tree trouble > Hillside tree removal

Hillside Tree Removal in Placerville

Big tree on the bank above your house? Call (530) 764-5890. We'll find a tree service in Placerville that works steep lots and set up a visit. Hillside tree removal in Placerville takes a crew that knows slopes.

We do the finding and the booking. The pro does the climbing.

Placerville doesn't do flat

Downtown sits at about 1,867 feet. The rest of the city runs from 1,800 feet up to nearly 4,000. That's a lot of up and down for a town this size. Plenty of houses sit cut into a slope, with trees above the roof and below the deck.

A tree on a hillside has it rough. Its roots hold the uphill side and the downhill side differently. Rain runs past it. And when it leans, it leans toward whatever is downhill. That's usually your house, your road or your neighbor's carport.

Here's what to watch for on a slope:

• A tree that's leaning more downhill than it used to.
• Cracks or a raised lip of dirt on the uphill side of the trunk.
• Soil washing out from around the roots after a big rain.
• A new cut for a driveway or retaining wall near the roots.
• Dead branches hanging over the roof below.

Split or heaving dirt near the base is a red flag to the ISA, since it hints the roots are shifting. That goes double on a tree with a lean. Grading and digging near roots is another thing it flags. On a hillside lot, there's usually been some of both.

Big rain makes it worse. Placerville's record for one day is 6.22 inches, back on February 14, 2000. Soaked hillsides and heavy trees don't mix.

How hillside tree work is done

On flat ground a pro can sometimes drop a tree in one go. On a slope above a house, that's off the table. Nobody wants a pine sliding into the living room.

So the tree usually comes down in sections. A climber works from the top, and each piece gets lowered by rope. It's slow. It's careful. And it's why hillside work costs more.

Sometimes a crane is the better tool, mostly for trees 80 feet or taller. That depends on whether a crane can even get close. Some Placerville streets were laid out for horses, not cranes.

Below the house is its own puzzle. Pieces cut there have to come back up the hill, or get chipped and carried. Ask how the wood will get out before the work starts. It's a fair question and a good pro won't mind it.

What about the stump and roots? On a steep bank, many pros leave the stump. The old roots help hold the soil while new plants fill in. Ask your pro what makes sense for your slope.

And the paperwork. Placerville keeps its tree removal rules in city code, Title 8, Chapter 13, and tree removal is on the city's list of things to apply for. Past the city line, oak rules belong to the county's Planning & Building office. Check with the right office before a healthy tree comes down.

What hillside tree removal costs

Slope adds cost. Fixr says plainly that a tree on a hill, in a pit or on rocky ground costs more than one on flat ground. It's harder work and riskier for the crew. Fixr also lists getting to the tree as about 15% of what drives the price.

Sources: Fixr tree removal cost guide; Today's Homeowner, Sacramento. These are flat-ground and area averages. Expect a steep lot to come in higher.

The Sacramento average in that same guide is about $723. A tall pine on a steep bank above a roof won't be average, so don't be shocked by a higher number. Get the price in writing before the work starts, and ask what's included. Hauling, chipping and the stump are often line items of their own.

Two prices is fair if the job is big. Just say the word and we'll go shopping for one more.

Why call us for hillside tree removal in Placerville

Not every tree outfit likes steep ground. Some will tell you so after they show up. We ask about the slope when you call, so the pro who comes is ready for it.

The call is free. The pro names a price, and you take it from there.

A few questions are worth asking the pro on a slope job. Where will the truck park? Where do the cut pieces land? Who hauls the wood up the hill? And what happens to the bank once the tree is gone? Good answers to those four tell you a lot. Fuzzy answers tell you even more.

Step by step: tree service in Placerville

1. Look at the tree from below and from the side. Note the lean and what's downhill.
2. Snap a photo that shows the slope, if you can.
3. Call (530) 764-5890. Tell us how steep it is and how close a truck can park.
4. We find a tree pro who works hillsides and book the visit.
5. The pro sizes it up and gives you a written price.
6. If you say yes, the tree comes down in pieces, top first.

Back to tree service in Placerville. Hill country keeps going in Garden Valley and Kelsey. Already down? See fallen tree removal.