The Field Guide
The Field Guide is Battle Born Tree Service's library of plain answers about trees in Northern Nevada: what removal and pruning involve, which permits apply, how defensible space works and how to buy and burn firewood.
Need a tree looked at? Call 775.232.8243 or get a free estimate. Estimates are free. Nevada Business License # 20131580674.
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Sixty guides in six groups: cost and hiring, safety and risk, pruning and care, removal and equipment, fire, and winter and firewood. Each guide starts with a short answer, then the detail, then the sources we used. Nothing here replaces an arborist looking at your tree in person.
Cost and hiring
How much does tree removal cost?
Tree removal has no single price because the same species can be a quick job in an open yard or a crane job over a roof. The cost follows the size and condition of the tree, how hard it is to reach, w
Read the guideHow much does stump grinding cost?
Stump grinding cost depends mainly on the stump's diameter, the roots at the surface, how easily a grinder can reach it, how deep you want it ground and what happens to the chips. Any number quoted wi
Read the guideHow much does tree trimming cost?
Tree trimming cost depends on the height and spread of the tree, how much has to come off, how hard the crown is to reach and how much debris is hauled away. A small ornamental on a patio is a differe
Read the guideHow much does an arborist cost?
An arborist's fee depends on what you are asking for: a quick look at one tree, a written assessment, a long-term care plan or a full job with crews. Ask the company which one you are buying and what
Read the guideWhat is an ISA Certified Arborist, and how do you verify one?
An ISA Certified Arborist is a person who has met the International Society of Arboriculture's requirements and passed its exam on tree care. The credential belongs to the individual, and you can chec
Read the guideArborist vs tree service vs landscaper: who should you hire?
Call a tree service or arborist for pruning, removal, risk assessment and large trees, and a landscaper for lawns, beds and general yard work. The three overlap, so the question to ask is who will act
Read the guideHow do you read a tree service estimate?
Read an estimate for what it covers before you read the total. A good one names each tree, describes the work, says what happens to the wood and stump, and tells you who is on the job.
Read the guideWhat proof of insurance should a tree service show you?
Ask for a certificate of insurance and then call the insurer to confirm the policy is active. The International Society of Arboriculture advises asking for proof of insurance and calling the insurance
Read the guideDoes homeowners insurance cover tree removal?
Sometimes: a policy often helps when a tree falls on a covered structure, and it usually pays little or nothing to remove a tree that fell without hitting anything. Your policy and your insurer decide
Read the guideA neighbor's tree fell on your property: who pays?
You usually file the claim with your own homeowners insurer, even if the tree grew in the neighbor's yard. Your insurer may then try to recover its costs from the neighbor's insurer, and fault can dep
Read the guideSafety and risk
How can you tell if a tree is dead or dying?
A tree is likely dead or dying if it stays bare while its neighbors leaf out, the bark is loose or falling away, branches snap dry, or fungus grows on the trunk or base. A certified arborist can tell
Read the guideWhat should you do about a tree leaning toward your house?
A sudden lean, or a lean that is getting worse, is a reason to keep people away from the tree and call a tree service right away. A lean that has been there for many years can be stable, but only an a
Read the guideWhat should you do when a tree falls on your house?
Get everyone out and away, call 911 if anyone is hurt, and stay away from any wire the tree is touching. Then call the electric utility if a line is involved, photograph what you can from a safe place
Read the guideWhat are the warning signs that a tree may fail?
The main warning signs are cracks or splits in the trunk, decay or fungus, a new or growing lean, heaved soil or lifted roots, dead or hanging limbs, and wounds from past construction or topping. One
Read the guideWhy is topping a tree not pruning?
Topping cuts a tree's branches back to stubs or to branches too small to take over, and the International Society of Arboriculture says it harms trees. Proper pruning removes selected branches back to
Read the guideWho is responsible for trees near power lines in NV Energy territory?
NV Energy says the property owner is responsible for keeping trees clear of the electric service line, the line that runs from the pole to the house, while NV Energy prunes trees that grow too close t
Read the guideWhy call 811 before stump grinding?
Stump grinding cuts below the surface, and utility lines can be buried only inches down. 811 is the free national before-you-dig service, and it says every digging project, regardless of depth, calls
Read the guideWhat is a widow-maker, and what should you do about hanging limbs?
A widow-maker is a broken or dead limb still caught in a tree, ready to fall without warning. Stay out from under it, keep others away and have a tree crew remove it, because standing below it to cut
Read the guideHow should you prepare your trees for Northern Nevada winds?
Have mature trees near your house looked at before wind season, prune out dead wood and hazards, avoid topping, and keep an eye on trees with cracks, lean or root damage. Wind does not cause defects,
Read the guideWhat should you do about broken tree limbs after heavy snow?
Stay out from under bowed or broken limbs, leave ice-covered branches alone, and call a tree service for anything large or high. Extension sources warn that stored energy in a bent branch makes a smal
Read the guidePruning and care
What is the best time to prune trees in Northern Nevada?
The best time to prune most deciduous trees in Northern Nevada is late winter, while they are dormant and before the spring growth flush. Dead, broken or hazardous branches can come out at any time of
Read the guideHow do you prune fruit trees in Reno and Carson City?
Prune backyard fruit trees in the dormant season, in late January and February before growth starts, and take no more than 15 to 20 percent of a mature tree's live wood in one year. Dead or broken bra
Read the guideWhat do crown thinning, raising and reduction mean?
Crown cleaning removes dead, weak or diseased branches, thinning reduces foliage density, raising removes lower branches for clearance, and reduction shortens height or spread by cutting back to a sui
Read the guideWhat are tree cabling and bracing, and when do they help?
Cabling and bracing are arborist services that add artificial support to branches or trunks with weak attachments, so a tree with a structural defect can keep standing. They reduce a risk but do not f
Read the guideWhat is dead wooding, and when does a tree need it?
Dead wooding is the removal of dead, dying, diseased or weakly attached branches from a tree's crown, also called crown cleaning. It can be done at any time of year, and it is the first thing an arbor
Read the guideCan tree roots damage sidewalks and sewer lines?
Tree roots can lift sidewalks and driveways, and they can enter older sewer pipes that already leak. Newer steel or PVC lines are generally resistant to root damage, so a root in a pipe usually points
Read the guideDo root barriers work, and when are they worth it?
A root barrier is a physical panel set into the soil to redirect roots away from a sidewalk, pipe or foundation. It can reduce root conflicts when it is planned for a specific site, but it does not st
Read the guideHow should you water mature trees in the high desert?
Water mature trees in the growing season to a depth of 18 inches, out to the edge of the canopy, with a thorough soaking rather than frequent shallow sprinkles. Mulch the root zone with 3 to 4 inches
Read the guideShould you keep, prune or remove a cottonwood tree?
Keep a cottonwood when it has room, sound structure and a use as shade, prune it to remove dead wood and manage weight, and consider removal when it is too close to a house or lines, is decaying or ha
Read the guideWhat should you do about a Siberian elm on an older Nevada lot?
Siberian elm is a tough, low-water tree that grew well on old Northern Nevada lots, and many are now very large. Keep one that is sound with pruning to remove dead wood, and ask an arborist about remo
Read the guideWhat is the difference between stump grinding and stump removal?
Stump grinding shreds the stump into wood chips below ground level and leaves the deeper roots in the ground to decay. Full stump removal digs the stump and main roots out with heavy equipment, which
Read the guideWhat happens to the wood and chips after a tree job?
Branches are run through a chipper, large logs are cut up and hauled away, and some wood is sold as firewood. Wood chips can be used as mulch on your own property or hauled off, and you should say whi
Read the guideCan you plant a tree or lawn after stump grinding?
Yes, you can plant where a stump was ground, but the spot needs preparation: ground chips and old roots change the soil, and a new tree needs a wide, properly drained hole. University of Nevada, Reno
Read the guideRemoval and equipment
How does crane-assisted tree removal work?
In a crane-assisted removal, a crane is set up on stable ground, a climber attaches the crane line to a section of the tree and makes the cut, and the crane operator holds the piece and moves it to a
Read the guideWhich tree jobs need a crane, a bucket truck or climbing?
Climbing with rigging is used where equipment cannot reach, a boom truck gets a crew to the upper crown from the ground, and a crane takes the weight of large pieces near homes, wires and other obstac
Read the guideHow is a tree removed from a tight backyard?
A tree in a tight backyard is removed either by climbers who rig and lower pieces, or by a crane or boom truck set up on the street or driveway and reaching over the house. The arborist decides at the
Read the guideDo you need a permit to remove a tree in Northern Nevada?
In most of Northern Nevada you do not need a permit to remove a tree on your own private property. The big exceptions are the Lake Tahoe Basin, where live trees over 14 inches in diameter need a Tahoe
Read the guideWhat is the 14-inch rule for tree removal at Lake Tahoe?
In the Lake Tahoe Basin, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency requires a permit to remove a live tree larger than 14 inches in diameter at breast height (DBH), measured 4.5 feet above the ground. On lak
Read the guideWhat HOA tree rules should you check before removing a tree?
Check your homeowners association's governing documents and architectural guidelines before pruning or removing a tree, because many associations require written approval first. An HOA is separate fro
Read the guideShould you remove dead pines after bark beetles?
Usually yes: dead pines are brittle, can drop limbs or fall, and removing infested trees can reduce the number of trees attacked in the surrounding area the next year. A certified arborist can confirm
Read the guideFire
What is defensible space? Zones 0, 1 and 2
Defensible space is the area around a building where you manage plants and combustible items so a wildfire has less to burn and embers have fewer places to land. University of Nevada, Reno Extension d
Read the guideDefensible space checklist for Carson City's west side
Work from the house outward: clear everything that burns within 5 feet, thin and separate plants out to 30 feet, then remove dead material and ladder fuels out to 100 feet. Carson City's risk to homes
Read the guideLadder fuels and limbing up: keeping fire out of the tree crowns
Ladder fuels are low-growing vegetation that lets a fire climb from the ground into the tops of trees. Removing them, including pruning lower limbs off the trees, is one of the Zone 2 tasks in Univers
Read the guideJunipers and other high-hazard plants next to the house
University of Nevada, Reno Extension says to remove junipers, sage and other high-fire-hazard plants from Zone 0, the first 5 feet around a building. Farther out, they are a spacing and maintenance qu
Read the guideMastication vs brush mowing vs hand clearing
Brush mowing cuts grass and light brush at the surface, mastication grinds heavier brush and small trees into chips on site, and hand clearing uses crews with saws and chippers where machines cannot g
Read the guideLot clearing before building in Lyon and Douglas counties
Clearing a building lot in Lyon or Douglas County starts with who must approve the work, then the trees you keep, then the brush, stumps and debris. Check with the county building department and your
Read the guideDefensible space evaluations and chipping programs by fire district
Your local fire protection agency is the place to ask for a defensible space evaluation, and University of Nevada, Reno Extension directs homeowners there. Availability, cost, chipping help and schedu
Read the guideWildfire risk to homes in Northern Nevada: what the numbers say
The US Forest Service rates risk to homes in Carson City higher than 98.5% of US communities and higher than 86% of Nevada communities. Most Northern Nevada towns rank in the top few percent nationall
Read the guideLessons for homeowners from the Davis, Caldor, Tamarack and Waterfall fires
Federal perimeter data records the Waterfall fire (2004) at about 8,765 acres, Tamarack (2021) at about 67,054, Caldor (2021) at about 221,784 and Davis (2024) at about 5,824. The practical lesson is
Read the guideHome insurance and defensible space: what carriers ask for
Some insurers ask about vegetation near your house and what you have done about it, and your agent can tell you what yours needs. This is general information: your insurer or an attorney decides cover
Read the guideWinter and firewood
How big is a cord of wood?
A full cord of firewood is a stack measuring 4 feet high, 4 feet wide and 8 feet long, which is 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood. Terms like face cord, rick and truckload do not have one fixed m
Read the guideHow to season and stack firewood
Split the wood, stack it off the ground with air around it, cover only the top, and wait at least six months for softwood and 12 months for hardwood. The EPA says wood burns best below 20 percent mois
Read the guideBest firewood species in the Sierra and Great Basin
The best firewood is dry, local wood that is dense enough to burn long. In general, denser hardwoods burn longer and take longer to season, and lighter softwoods light easily and burn fast, but how dr
Read the guideWashoe County burn codes explained
Washoe County runs a winter burn code, from November 1 to the end of February, that uses green, yellow and red days, and Northern Nevada Public Health regulates wood-burning devices. Check the current
Read the guideDon't move firewood: the Nevada rules
Nevada prohibits the entry of uncertified firewood from areas quarantined for forest pests, which includes most out-of-state sources. The simple rule is to buy firewood where you will burn it and burn
Read the guideWhose job is the sidewalk? Snow rules in Carson City and Reno
In Carson City the municipal code makes clearing snow and ice from the public sidewalk the property owner's job, and in Reno the city says shoveling sidewalks and driveways is not a service it provide
Read the guideCommercial snow removal: what a contract should cover
A commercial snow removal contract should say what areas are covered, how much snow triggers service, how ice is handled, where snow goes, who carries liability and how billing works. Write it down be
Read the guideIce melt, salt and your trees
Salt can dehydrate roots, burn foliage and damage soil, so use the least you need and keep it away from trees. University of Minnesota Extension says about a coffee mug of salt (roughly 12 ounces) is
Read the guideProtecting trees from plow and snow-load damage
Heavy snow and ice break limbs, and plows and piled snow damage trunks and branches. Pruning to remove multiple leaders and weak attachments reduces snow and ice damage, and a certified arborist can c
Read the guideWood chips from tree work: uses and limits in a fire-prone yard
Wood chips are useful as mulch away from the house, but University of Nevada, Reno Extension says to clear wood mulch and other combustible mulch from Zone 0, the first 5 feet around a building. Farth
Read the guideStraight answers
Questions people ask
Still have a question? Call 775.232.8243. Phones are answered seven days a week.
Who writes these guides?
They are written for Battle Born Tree Service and reviewed against public sources such as the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, NV Energy and federal data. Sources are listed at the end of each guide.
Can a guide tell me if my tree is safe?
No. A guide explains what to look for. Only a qualified person who inspects the tree can judge it. Estimates are free.
Which guide should I read first?
Start with your situation. Worried about a tree: warning signs before a tree fails. Planning a removal: whether you need a permit. Getting ready for fire season: what defensible space is. Deciding when to prune: the best time to prune.
Do the cost guides show your prices?
No. We do not publish prices, because every tree and every site is different. The cost guides explain what drives the price of a job and cite national public figures, labelled as national. Your own number comes from a free estimate after an arborist sees the job.
Do the guides explain how to do the work myself?
They explain what to look for, what the terms mean and what to ask. They do not give instructions for felling, climbing, rigging or chainsaw work. That work is dangerous, and it is what the crew and the equipment are for.
Are the guides specific to Nevada?
Yes. Permit rules, fire districts, power line rules, burn codes and climate figures are the ones that apply in Carson City, Reno, Sparks, Douglas and Lyon counties and the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. For the local numbers behind them, see the data pages.
What if a guide uses a word I do not know?
The arborist glossary defines the terms that show up in guides and on estimates, from DBH to ladder fuels.
Free estimates
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- 4.8 out of 5 on Google from 44 reviews (October 17, 2026)
- Best of Carson City, Best Tree Service, first place 2018 through 2025 (Nevada Appeal readers' poll)
- ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff
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- Carson City based since October 2013
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