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Tree Service in El Dorado
El Dorado is the little town, not the whole county. If a tree is the trouble there, call (530) 803-4676. We'll set you up with a nearby tree pro for a visit.
Little town, big name
Wikipedia lists El Dorado as an unincorporated community 4 miles southwest of Placerville. The ZIP code is 95623. It sits low, well below Camino, so snow almost never settles in. The weather there is much more about heat and wind.
That makes the tree story simple. Dry summers and dry hillsides mean dead wood. Winter storms mean wet ground and roots that let go.
Going back in time, the town was first known as Mud Springs. Cattle and horses turned the watering place into a boggy mess. Carson Trail travelers camped here, and later it became a mining center. Gold built it. Oaks shaded it.
Which oak is that?
A lot of the trees here are oaks, and they are not all the same. The UC Master Gardeners name five common ones in the county: canyon, blue, black, valley and interior live oak.
- Blue oak does well up to about 3,500 feet in shallow soil. It can go dormant in summer.
- Interior live oak lives below 5,000 feet, from flood plains to slopes. It can have several trunks.
Why does it matter? Several trunks growing from one base can split in a storm. A tree on shallow soil has shallow roots. When the ground is wet it can tip.
A pro can tell you which oak you have and what it needs. That helps a lot when the question is whether to cut or wait.
Oak rules and the dead oak question
People ask us whether they can cut an oak. The honest answer is that it depends. The county has oak rules for private land outside city limits. Ask the pro or the county Planning Division about yours before any work starts.
Don't wait on a tree that's an immediate danger. Call, and ask the pro about the paperwork too.
What brings a call from El Dorado
- An oak limb on the roof after a windy night.
- A dead tree near the propane tank.
- A tree leaning over a shared driveway.
- Low limbs rubbing on a power drop.
For that last one, Under PG&E's rules, you keep plants and dead trees off your own service drop. A free temporary disconnect is available if work happens near it.
How we help
You tell us the road. We find a pro who covers El Dorado and the Placerville side, and we set up the visit.
The pro inspects the tree, lays out your options, and names the price before work begins. Yes or no is yours to say. A second pro is a request away.
Rain, roots and a soft spring
When winter rain soaks the ground, trees with shallow roots can tip. That includes oaks on thin soil. You may see the soil lift on one side, or a new lean on a tree that stood straight for years.
If you see that, stay out from under the tree and call. A tree that has begun to tip can finish the job in the next gust.
Spring brings another round. As the ground dries, cracks open. Look for them around the base and mark them with a flag, so a pro can see where the ground has moved.
Prices to expect
For the Sacramento area, Today's Homeowner puts the average near $723, with a range of $270 to $1,166. National guides put medium trees at $450 to $700. These are guides. Your pro sets the real price.
Around the corner
Next door are Placerville and Diamond Springs. Farther up the hill are Smith Flat and Camino.