Tree removal in Indian Hills, NV

Indian Hills is in Douglas County, just over the line from Carson City. Most of its roughly 2,700 homes date from the 1980s onward, with a median year built of 1995, and about a third of its buildings stand in what the Forest Service calls the direct wildfire exposure zone.

At a glance

• About 10 miles from our yard, about 15 minutes without traffic
• About 34% of buildings in the direct wildfire exposure zone
• Median home built in 1995; about 24% built before 1980
• The 2004 Waterfall Fire was mapped about 6 miles away

What kinds of removals come up in Indian Hills?

Three, mostly. The first is the yard tree that has outgrown a 1990s lot: planted small near the house and now leaning on the gutters. The second is the older tree. About 24% of homes here were built before 1980 according to the American Community Survey, and those lots carry trees of fifty years or so. The third is the fire-driven removal on a lot at the edge of the hills.

About 7% of homes are manufactured homes, where a tree is often very close to the structure and the pieces have to be cut small.

Why does the hillside edge matter?

The Forest Service ranks Indian Hills' wildfire risk to homes higher than about 97% of US communities. About 34% of buildings are in the direct exposure zone and about 66% in the indirect zone. Fifteen fires of 300 acres or more have been mapped within about 10 miles since 1980, including the 2004 Waterfall Fire at 8,765 acres, centered about 6 miles away, and the 1988 C-Hill Fire at 1,799 acres, about 4 miles away.

On a lot that meets open sagebrush, a dead or half-dead tree near the house is a liability twice over. University of Nevada, Reno Extension's Living With Fire guide treats the first 30 feet from the house as the zone to keep lean, clean and green. Removing dead trees there is step one. See defensible space in Indian Hills for the rest.

What does a short drive change?

It makes the practical parts easier. An estimate visit is a short trip for the arborist, and if a job needs a second machine, the crane and the boom truck are parked about 10 miles away. We do not promise arrival times, but a crew that starts its day 15 minutes from your street spends its hours on your tree and not on the highway.

If a tree comes down in a storm, call the same number at any hour: 775.232.8243. Call 911 first if anyone is hurt, and stay clear and call NV Energy if a power line is involved.

What is the climate doing to the trees?

The Carson City NOAA station, under 3 miles from Indian Hills, averages about 9.3 inches of precipitation and 14 inches of snow a year (1991-2020 normals). Indian Hills is in USDA zone 7b. That is a mild winter for the region and a very dry year. Mature trees decline when summer watering stops, and a decline that ends in removal often traces back to a change in irrigation a few years earlier. Our guide on watering mature trees in the high desert explains how to avoid that.

What does the estimate include?

How the tree will come down, what happens to the wood and chips, and whether the stump is ground. It is free and tailored to your property. Stump grinding in Indian Hills can go on the same visit.