Tree removal in Caughlin Ranch (89519)

Caughlin Ranch sits in the southwest Reno foothills at about 4,884 feet. Its trees were planted on purpose, to a plan, and three decades later many are at the size where they shade the wrong window, crowd the roofline or lean out over a common-area path.

At a glance

• Median home in ZIP 89519 built in 1993
• About 78% of housing units are single-family detached
• 2020 Pinehaven Fire, mapped at 512 acres, in the Caughlin Ranch area
• About 44 minutes from our Carson City yard without traffic

What does a removal in Caughlin Ranch usually involve?

If the age of the homes is a guide, often a planted evergreen or shade tree in its third decade. It is not ancient and it is rarely huge, but it is full grown, close to the house, and surrounded by finished landscaping: stone walls, drip lines, lighting, lawn. The cutting is routine. The care goes into getting every limb out without marking what is underneath.

The American Community Survey shows about 22% of homes in the ZIP were built before 1980 and about 28% since 2000, so both older and younger trees turn up as well.

Does the association have a say?

Check before you book. Planned communities commonly review changes to landscaping that can be seen from the street or that border common areas, and a removal can count. We do not know your association's rules and will not guess at them. Get the approval you need, and we can supply the estimate and the arborist's reasons for removal to go with your request. Our HOA tree rules guide has a list of questions.

Fire on the foothill edge

The 2020 Pinehaven Fire is mapped at 512 acres in the Caughlin Ranch area, and the 1996 Belli Ranch Fire, at 6,724 acres, is among the large fires mapped within about 10 miles. A ZIP code has no wildfire rating of its own. For Reno as a whole, the USDA Forest Service ranks risk to homes higher than 97.7% of US communities.

Evergreens planted against a wall for privacy deserve a second look in fire country. If a tree or a row of junipers within a few feet of the house is the concern, read junipers and other high-hazard plants and our page on defensible space in Caughlin Ranch.

Could pruning do the job instead?

Sometimes. A tree that blocks a view or rubs the gutter may only need its crown raised or reduced by someone who prunes to a standard. A tree that is dead, splitting or decayed at the base is a different matter. Our arborist will tell you which you have, and the estimate for pruning or removal is free either way.

Getting equipment in and out

Streets here curve and climb, and many back yards fall away from the house. The arborist notes where the chip truck can park and whether the 75-foot boom can reach from the driveway. Where it cannot, a climber does the work and the brush is carried out.