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Tree Service in Smith Flat

Smith Flat is on the way between Placerville and Camino, so tree pros pass it all the time. Call (530) 803-4676 and we'll get one headed to your place.

Call (530) 803-4676

Right in the middle

Smith Flat is 4.5 miles west of Camino and 2.5 miles east of Placerville, per Wikipedia. The elevation is 2,224 feet. The town sits right where the foothills start to climb, and the weather can change fast between the two ends.

Some storms bring only rain to Placerville and a coat of snow to Camino. Smith Flat can go either way. We tell you that because it changes the job. A tree that took snow is a different problem from one that took wind and soaked ground.

Highway 50 is close. A tree that falls toward the road is a bigger deal than one that falls toward a field. Call 911 if it's across the highway.

An old stop on a long road

Jeb Smith, an early rancher, is who the town is named for. Its first post office opened in 1876. Smith Flat was also one of the 93 wagon train stops along the Johnson Pass route across the Sierra Nevada.

That old house, built in the 1850s, is the lone survivor among those stops. It's a restaurant now.

If you have an old shade tree by your own house, it's worth a look.

What goes wrong with trees here

Pines grow uphill toward Camino, and the big oaks are downhill toward Placerville. Smith Flat sits between them, so you can see both kinds of trouble.

• Oaks that drop big limbs in hot weather.
• Pines that lose a top in a snow.
• Dead trees in the brush line, close to the road.
• Trees pushing on a fence or an old shed.

UC Master Gardeners explain that oak fungus doesn't kill the tree by itself. The rot inside the wood is what can bring it down. If you see mushrooms on a big oak, get a pro to look at the tree.

Our plan for your call

Tell us the road and the problem. We'll find a pro who works the Highway 50 corridor, which is most of them.

The visit is often set for the same week. A tree on a house or road gets pushed higher. We'll tell you what we learn.

Your pro looks at the tree before touching it and gives you the price. You can say no and ask us for another pro.

Tight spots and traffic

Some Smith Flat lots sit close to the road, with a steep bank behind. That makes a tree job tricky. A pro may need a lane closed for a short time, or a flagger to slow cars.

Tell us what's on both sides of the tree. A fence, a ditch, a wall, a shed. Those details decide whether the pro can drop the tree whole or must take it down in pieces, which takes longer and costs more.

If the tree overhangs a neighbor's yard, give the neighbor a heads up. It saves hard feelings and keeps the visit smooth.

Prices to expect

Cost guides show a tree already on the ground at $75 to $150. A large tree comes in at $900 to $1,200, and a tree over 100 feet at $1,300 to $2,000. For an emergency, the Sacramento-area standard charge is $1,084.

Those are guide numbers, not quotes.

Neighbors

West is Placerville. East is Newtown and Camino. For what to do first with a tree on a driveway, read tree down on a road or driveway.