Crane tree removal in Glenbrook, NV

Glenbrook is a small east-shore community of about 320 housing units. Its homes are newer than most at the lake, with a median build year of 1986, but its forest is not. The USDA Forest Service places about 99% of its buildings in the direct wildfire exposure class.

At a glance

• About 99% of buildings in the direct wildfire exposure class
• Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District evaluates and permits defensible space removals
• TRPA 14-inch rule, 6 inches on lakeshore lots
• About 20.6 miles from our Carson City yard

Why remove several trees in one set-up?

Because thinning is rarely about one tree. When a fire district evaluates a forested lot, it may mark a group: the dead ones, the crowded ones, the ones whose crowns touch the roof. A crane positioned well can reach several of those from a single spot. Each tree comes out in a few lifts, the chipper runs steadily, and the lot is finished in far less time than it would take to rig every tree down separately.

The crane is also kind to what remains. In a thinned stand, the trees left behind are the point of the exercise. Sections go straight up and out, so the keepers do not lose limbs to falling wood.

Who approves the removals?

Two bodies. TRPA requires a permit to remove a live tree over 14 inches in diameter at breast height, and over 6 inches for trees between the house and the lake on a lakeshore lot. On this shore the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District evaluates properties and issues defensible space tree permits. A dead tree that could fall on a house needs no TRPA permit.

Glenbrook properties may also have community rules of their own. Ask your association. The agencies and the association decide, and we work from what they approve.

How do the defensible space zones guide the list?

The zones guide the list by distance from the house: dead trees and crowding within 30 feet come first, and thinning and dead wood removal follow out to 100 feet. Crane work is mostly a Zone 0 and Zone 1 matter.

Crane work is mostly a Zone 0 and Zone 1 matter. Those are the trees close enough to the house that they cannot be felled whole. Farther out, conventional removal is often possible. Read more on defensible space in Glenbrook.

Does the newer housing change anything?

A little. The Census Bureau estimates only about 15% of Glenbrook homes predate 1980 and about 20% were built in 2000 or later. A newer home with a paved driveway can offer a good crane pad. It often has more hardscape, landscaping and glass to protect as well, which is the case for lifting wood instead of lowering it.

How wet is it here?

The Glenbrook weather station averages about 18.5 inches of precipitation a year, about twice the Carson City station's figure. Winter storms bring snow, so planned crane work is simpler to arrange once roads and driveways are clear.