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Tree Service in Coloma

Coloma's on our list, river bottom and hillsides both. Call (530) 764-5890 and we'll go looking for a tree pro who knows the valley, then pin down a day.

Big limb down by the river? Oak split in last night's wind? That's the kind of call we want.

A low town in a deep valley

Coloma sits at just 764 feet, right down by the South Fork, where the American River runs through. Placerville is a good thousand feet higher. That makes a real difference in a storm.

Here's an odd one. The weather service doesn't even put Coloma in the same forecast zone as Placerville. It groups the valley with the Sacramento metro zone, the one that also takes in the low west end of El Dorado County. So read that forecast, not the one for the hills.

Low ground means snow is rare. But rain is not. When the river runs high and the banks get soaked, trees on the bank can tip. A big oak with wet roots and a stiff wind is a bad pair.

Old town, old trees

This is where the whole rush kicked off. On January 24, 1848, James Marshall spotted gold at Sutter's Mill. On the Fourth of July in 1961 the town was named a National Historic Landmark District, and the old town makes up the center of the state historic park named for Marshall's find.

Some folks call it something of a ghost town now. Only 521 people lived here at the 2020 census. But there are plenty of old trees around old buildings, fences and roads.

A tree near a historic building takes care. If your place is inside or next to the park, check with the park before anything gets cut. We can't speak for them, but they'll want to know.

River traffic and road blocks

Rafting outfits have run trips on the South Fork here since 1978. On a busy river day, one limb down across the road backs things up quick.

If the tree is on a public road, that's a 911 call, not ours. If it's on your side of the fence, then we're your folks. Same goes for a trunk blocking your drive down to the river.

Signs a valley tree is in trouble

• Bark sloughing off in big sheets near the base.
• A trunk with a long split running down from a fork.
• Roots lifting on the side away from the lean, after a wet week.
• Dead branches hanging over a path, a deck or a parked car.

None of those mean the tree has to go. They mean somebody who knows trees should look at it before the next blow.

Shade trees by the water

A lot of the big trees in the valley were left for shade. That's smart in July. It also means they lean out over decks, paths and parking spots. Give those ones a look each fall.

Cost and timing

A tall oak or pine is real work. For a big one, say 60 to 100 feet, Fixr's national guide lists $900 to $1,200. Near the water, with soft ground and tight access, it can land higher.

Your pro names the price before the saw comes out. As for timing, valley work often books fast in a quiet week. After a county-wide storm, everybody waits a bit. We'll tell you what we hear.

Close by

• Tree service in Lotus, a mile downstream
• Tree service in Gold Hill, just south
• Tree service in Kelsey, up the grade
• Storm damage cleanup
• Every town on our list
• Back home: tree service in Placerville