Tree removal in Kingsbury, NV

Kingsbury sits at about 7,126 feet, the highest community we serve. The trees are tall native conifers, the lots are steep and most of the houses went up in the 1960s and 1970s among trees that were already big.

At a glance

• TRPA permit needed for live trees over 14 inches in diameter at 4.5 feet
• A dead tree that could fall on a house needs no TRPA permit
• About 68% of Kingsbury homes were built before 1980
• More than half of buildings are in the direct wildfire exposure zone

When do you need a permit to remove a tree in Kingsbury?

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) requires a permit to remove a live tree larger than 14 inches in diameter at breast height, which is 4.5 feet up the trunk. To check yours, wrap a tape around the trunk at that height and divide by 3.14. A trunk that measures 44 inches around is about 14 inches across.

A dead tree that could fall on a house does not need a TRPA permit. For defensible space work, the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District serves the Nevada south shore, evaluates properties and issues defensible space tree permits. The agency decides what is allowed. We can tell you what to ask.

Old cabins under tall conifers

About 68% of Kingsbury's homes were built before 1980, and the median home dates from 1976 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024; a small community, so treat the figures as approximate). The trees were there first, and many now stand within a few feet of a roof or a deck.

That is the situation crane-assisted removal was made for. The crane lifts each section up and over the house to a drop zone, so nothing has to be lowered past the roof on ropes.

Steep lots and narrow roads

Before any removal here, our team works out where the crane or boom truck can set up. Elevation, overhead obstacles and how close the structures are all go into that choice, and outriggers steady the machine on the slope. Where a truck cannot reach, a climber takes the tree down in pieces.

Fire is the reason for many removals

The USDA Forest Service rates Kingsbury's wildfire risk to homes higher than 97.9% of US communities, and 53% of its buildings are in the direct exposure zone. The 2002 Gondola Fire, mapped at 643 acres, had its center about 2 miles from Kingsbury. Removing dead trees and thinning crowded ones is part of making a Kingsbury home defensible.

Weather windows

The Daggett Pass weather station, at the top of Kingsbury Grade, averages about 21.8 inches of precipitation a year, more than twice Carson City's (NOAA 1991-2020 normals). Winter snow can limit truck access on steep lots, so tell the office about your driveway when you call. For a tree that comes down in a storm, call us at any hour.