Tree trimming and pruning in Mogul, NV

Mogul is a pocket of about 470 homes on about a square mile and a half beside Interstate 80 and the Truckee River, west of Reno. Census estimates show only about 13% of its homes older than 1980 and about 7% newer than 2000. Nearly everything in between went up in two decades, and so did the landscaping.

At a glance

• Median home built in 1985; trees of the same era on nearly every lot
• About 92% single-family detached homes
• About 90% of buildings in the indirect wildfire exposure zone
• ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff

What happens when a whole street of trees turns 40?

A tree planted with a 1985 house is about 40 years old. Fast-growing shade trees are at or near full height by then, and several things show up together: limbs long enough to reach the neighbor's roof as well as yours, a crown thick enough to hold dead interior wood, and forks that have carried more weight every year since planting day.

None of that means the tree has to go. Middle age is when pruning pays back the most, because the tree is still vigorous enough to close its wounds. The work is usually a mix of crown cleaning, reduction of overextended limbs and raising over driveways and walks.

Tight lots and shared fence lines

About 92% of Mogul homes are single-family detached houses (Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024, approximate for a community this size). On a lot like that a mature crown rarely stays inside its own fence. Branches over a neighbor's yard are a common reason people call.

The arborist can tell you what a tree will tolerate. Cutting everything back to the property line in one pass is often more than a tree can take, and a reduction to sound side branches is the better cut. If the tree belongs to a neighbor, read a neighbor's tree fell on your property: who pays? first. It is general information, and an attorney decides questions of law.

Why roof clearance matters in Mogul

The USDA Forest Service puts about 90% of Mogul's buildings in the indirect wildfire exposure zone. In that zone the threat is embers and fire moving from one structure to the next. The Belli Ranch Fire (1996, 6,724 acres) and the Verdi Fire (2006, 5,662 acres) are both mapped with centers within about 3 miles.

Branches touching or overhanging a roof drop needles and leaves into gutters, which is where embers land. Clearance pruning moves the crown back from the roof and chimney. It is routine structure clearance, and it can be done along with the rest of the pruning.

Season and schedule

A gauge about 2 miles away (Reno 3.4 WSW) averages 10.8 inches of precipitation a year, so Mogul's trees depend on irrigation through summer. We prune most deciduous trees in late winter while they are dormant and most conifers in early spring and summer. A dead or hazardous limb is removed whenever it is found.