Tree removal in the North Valleys and Stead (89506)

North of Reno the valleys sit higher and colder than downtown. The Stead weather station, at 5,101 feet, records an average winter low near 25 degrees and about 16.7 inches of snow a year. Trees here work for a living.

At a glance

• About 30% of homes in ZIP 89506 built before 1980, about 49% since 2000
• Stead station: about 11 inches of precipitation a year
• About 9% of housing units are manufactured homes
• About 50 minutes from our yard without traffic

Two generations of trees in one ZIP

The American Community Survey gives ZIP 89506 a median build year of 1999, but that average hides a split. Roughly three homes in ten predate 1980, and the trees around them are 45 years old or more. Roughly half have been built since 2000, with trees to match.

The older trees are the ones that bring out the boom truck or the crane. The younger ones are usually removed because they are failing or in the way.

What does the climate do to trees here?

The Stead station averages about 11 inches of precipitation a year (NOAA 1991-2020 normals). Trees survive on what the owner gives them. When a property changes hands or the irrigation is shut off, a mature tree can die back from the top over a few years, and a dead top over a roof is a sound reason to call. Our page on drought stress and dieback shows the stages.

Fire around the valleys

The federal perimeter record lists 29 fires of 300 acres or more with a centre within about 10 miles of this ZIP since 1980, including the 1999 Reservoir Fire (6,163 acres) and the 2006 Verdi Fire (5,662 acres). Washoe County's risk to homes ranks higher than 97.2% of US counties, according to the USDA Forest Service. Dead trees and trees crowded against buildings are the removals that matter most for fire.

On larger parcels, removal is often combined with lot clearing and brush mowing.

Large lots and manufactured homes

Parts of the North Valleys are acre lots with room to work. Others are manufactured-home streets where the home, the carport and the neighbor are all within a limb's length. About 9% of housing units in the ZIP are manufactured homes. The method changes to suit: more open felling room on a big parcel, careful roped lowering in a tight one. The arborist decides on site.

City or county?

Stead is inside Reno city limits. Lemmon Valley, Golden Valley and other parts of the ZIP are unincorporated Washoe County. The City of Reno rule is no permit on private property and a Tree Work Permit, with a Certified Arborist, for right-of-way trees. If you are outside the city, ask the county.