Tree trimming and pruning in Kingsbury, NV

Kingsbury climbs State Route 207 from the lake toward Daggett Pass. The Daggett Pass weather station is less than a mile from the center of the community, so for once the climate numbers are truly local, and they describe a short, cool growing season.

At a glance

• Highest community we serve: about 7,126 feet
• Daggett Pass station: mean annual temperature 43.3 degrees
• Only about half of homes are single-family detached houses
• TRPA permit for live branches in the upper two-thirds of a tree

How short is the pruning season up here?

NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for Daggett Pass show a mean annual temperature of 43.3 degrees, summer highs averaging 71.5 and about 21.8 inches of precipitation a year, more than twice what Carson City receives. Our general rule is to prune most conifers in early spring and summer. On the Grade, spring comes late, so that window is narrower than in the valley.

Call early if you want work done before the snow. We make no promises on dates, but an estimate arranged in spring leaves the whole season open.

Which limbs fail under snow?

Three kinds. Dead limbs, which are brittle. Long limbs that reach out level from the trunk and collect snow along their length. And tops or limbs already cracked by an earlier winter. An arborist looking over a tree before winter is looking for those.

Dead wood can be removed anywhere in the tree with no permit. A long live limb over a roof or deck is within TRPA's 10-foot exception. A live limb high in the crown and away from any building needs a TRPA permit before it is cut. What to do after a break is covered in heavy wet snow and broken limbs.

Condominiums, townhomes and shared trees

Only about 49% of Kingsbury's housing is single-family detached (Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). Most of the rest is attached housing, where the trees usually stand on common ground and an association decides what happens to them. If that is your situation, the association or its manager has to order the work. We write estimates for boards as well as for owners: see tree service for HOAs and property managers.

Steep ground and where the truck goes

Many Kingsbury lots fall away from the road. Where the 75-foot boom truck can set up level, pruning is done from the bucket. Elsewhere a climber works from inside the crown. The arborist checks the driveway and the slope at the free estimate. About 53% of Kingsbury buildings are in the direct wildfire exposure zone, so raising low limbs is usually part of the plan as well.