Tree service at Lake Tahoe, Nevada side

Tahoe is a conifer forest with houses in it. Jeffrey pine, white fir and incense cedar stand within a few feet of decks and roofs, the lots are steep, and the rules are stricter than anywhere else we work. Our yard in Carson City is one mountain pass away.

How far is each Tahoe community from our yard?

Tahoe communities are about 31 to 53 minutes from our yard without traffic, with Glenbrook closest and Crystal Bay farthest. The table below gives each drive time and elevation.

Times are free-flow estimates over the Carson Range. Winter chain controls and summer traffic change them, so treat them as distance, not as an arrival time. Kingsbury, at more than 7,100 feet, is the highest community we serve.

Why is so much Tahoe work done with a crane?

Because the trees are tall and the houses are old enough for the forest to have grown in around them. About 73% of homes in Zephyr Cove, 68% in Kingsbury and 59% in Crystal Bay were built before 1980 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024; these are small communities, so the figures are approximate). A pine that was a comfortable distance from a 1972 cabin now leans over it.

A crane lifts each section up and away instead of lowering it past the roof. Our own argument for the method is that it takes less time and has less impact on the surroundings. See crane-assisted tree removal, which we offer in all six communities.

How exposed are Tahoe homes to wildfire?

Very. The USDA Forest Service places about 99% of Glenbrook's buildings, 61% of Incline Village's and 53% of Kingsbury's in the direct-exposure zone, and ranks risk to homes in Zephyr Cove, Kingsbury and Incline Village higher than roughly 98% of US communities. The Martis Fire of 2001 is mapped at 14,429 acres within about 10 miles of Incline Village, and the Gondola Fire of 2002 at 643 acres within about 10 miles of Stateline and Kingsbury.

Defensible space here is thinning, limbing up and clearing needles and brush under the canopy, under a permit where one is needed. Both Nevada-side fire districts do defensible-space evaluations and issue those tree permits: how to request one.

What does the weather do to Tahoe trees?

It loads them. The Glenbrook station records 18.46 inches of precipitation in a normal year and Daggett Pass, at the top of Kingsbury Grade, 21.80 inches, roughly double the Carson City figure (NOAA 1991-2020 normals). The Nevada-side stations do not publish a snowfall normal. Across the lake, Tahoe City records 179.0 inches a year.

Heavy wet snow snaps tops and peels limbs. Snow removal is one of our winter services; ask whether your Tahoe address is on the snow route when you call, and see snow and ice removal.