---
title: Tree Trimming in Northwest Reno and Somersett | Battle Born
url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/tree-trimming/
business: Battle Born Tree Service
address: 6301 US Highway 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701
phone: 775.232.8243
hours: Office Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm; phones answered seven days a week; 24-hour emergency service
credentials: ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff; Nevada Business License # 20131580674; fully insured
type: Tree service (removal, crane work, pruning, stump grinding, defensible space, snow removal, firewood)
---

- [Home](https://battleborntreeservice.com/)
- [Service areas](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/)
- [Northwest Reno and Somersett](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/)
- Tree trimming and pruning

# Tree trimming and pruning in Northwest Reno and Somersett (ZIP 89523)

Tree trimming in Northwest Reno and Somersett is about building trees that survive snow: the nearest snowfall station averages 33.3 inches a year, and only about 5% of homes in ZIP 89523 predate 1980, so the trees are young and untested. Battle Born Tree Service prunes them for strong structure before a storm finds the weak fork.

At about 5,432 feet, this is the highest part of Reno we serve outside the Mt. Rose Highway. Nearly half the homes in the ZIP were built in 2000 or later. Young trees, exposed slopes and real snow are a combination that rewards early pruning.

## At a glance

- Reno 1.4 NNE station: 33.3 inches of snowfall a year
- About 47% of homes in ZIP 89523 built in 2000 or later
- Structural pruning and end-weight reduction before winter
- Association approval first in Somersett and similar communities

## Why do young trees split in snow?

Because of how they were grown. A nursery tree is often headed at a set height so it branches into a full, round crown that sells well. That leaves several stems of equal size leaving the trunk at one point. As they thicken, bark gets pinched between them and the joint never knits.

Load that joint with wet snow while the leaves are still on, and it opens like a zipper. The tree is then half gone, with a wound down the trunk. Our page on [storm and snow-load breakage](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/storm-and-snow-load-breakage/) shows which splits can be repaired.

## How does pruning prevent it?

By choosing a leader and slowing its rivals. The arborist picks the stem that should become the trunk, then shortens the competing stems so they grow more slowly and stay smaller than the leader. Over two or three pruning visits, spaced a few years apart, the tree changes from a bouquet into a trunk with branches.

On older trees the same idea applies at the tips. Shortening the longest limbs reduces the leverage that snow and wind have on them. [Crown thinning, raising and reduction](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/crown-thinning-raising-reduction/) explains each cut.

## How much weather are we talking about?

NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals give two useful readings. The Reno 3.9 W gauge, inside this ZIP, averages 10.94 inches of precipitation a year. The Reno 1.4 NNE station, about 5 miles away and about 500 feet lower than the center of this ZIP, averages 33.3 inches of snowfall. Compare that with 20.9 inches at Reno-Tahoe International Airport on the valley floor.

The ZIP is in USDA hardiness zone 7a. Winter is long enough that the late-winter pruning window for deciduous trees is generous.

## What about the open slopes behind the houses?

They burn. The Verdi Fire of 2006, mapped at 5,662 acres, and the Belli Ranch Fire of 1996, mapped at 6,724 acres, are among 32 fires of 300 acres or more mapped within about 10 miles of this ZIP since 1980. For trees along a back fence that faces open ground, pruning includes lifting the lowest branches and removing dead wood. See [defensible space in Northwest Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/defensible-space/).

## Do I need approval in Somersett?

Check before you book. Somersett and several neighboring developments are governed by associations that set landscape standards, and some street and common-area trees are theirs to maintain. Parts of the ZIP are outside Reno city limits, where City tree rules do not apply.

### Sources

- [NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, Reno 3.9 W, Reno 1.4 NNE and Reno-Tahoe International Airport stations](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals) (retrieved October 1, 2026)
- [U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 89523](https://data.census.gov/) (retrieved October 1, 2026)
- [National Interagency Fire Center, fire perimeter history (Verdi Fire, 2006; Belli Ranch Fire, 1996)](https://data-nifc.opendata.arcgis.com/) (retrieved October 1, 2026)
- [USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023](https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/) (retrieved October 1, 2026)

- **Drive from our yard:** about 54 min 41.7 miles

- **Elevation:** 5,432 ft USGS

- **USDA hardiness zone:** 7a 2023 map

- **Homes built before 1980:** 5% median year built 1999

Sources: drive time from our yard at 6301 US Highway 50 East, free-flow, OSRM / Census Geocoder; elevation, USGS 3DEP; hardiness zone, USDA 2023 map; housing figures, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 five-year estimates; wildfire risk, USDA Forest Service Wildfire Risk to Communities (April 2026 data). Retrieved October 1, 2026.

### Rules here

Reno addresses: pruning on private property needs no City permit. City right-of-way trees need a Tree Work Permit and a Certified Arborist.

Somersett and other planned communities: association approval, where required, comes first.

### Start here

- [About the service: Tree trimming and pruning](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/tree-trimming-pruning/)
- [Tree service in Northwest Reno and Somersett](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/)

### Talk to the office

[775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243)

| Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered |

Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service.

[Free estimate](#quote)

### Related

- [Northwest Reno and Somersett (89523)](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/)
- [Storm and snow-load breakage](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/storm-and-snow-load-breakage/)
- [Heavy wet snow and broken limbs: what to do the morning after](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/heavy-snow-broken-limbs/)
- [Protecting trees from plow and snow-load damage](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/protecting-trees-from-plows-snow-load/)
- [Tree trimming and pruning](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/tree-trimming-pruning/)
- [HOA tree rules: what to check first](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/hoa-tree-rules/)

## Other services in Northwest Reno and Somersett

[Tree removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/tree-removal/) [Stump grinding](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/stump-grinding/) [Emergency tree service](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/emergency-tree-service/) [Defensible space and fire mitigation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/defensible-space/) [Certified arborist](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/arborist/) [Snow removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/snow-removal/)

## Tree trimming and pruning in nearby towns

[Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/tree-trimming/) [South Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/south-reno/tree-trimming/) [Galena and Mt. Rose Highway](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/galena-mt-rose/tree-trimming/) [Old Southwest Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/old-southwest-reno/tree-trimming/) [Caughlin Ranch](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/caughlin-ranch/tree-trimming/) [the North Valleys and Stead](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/tree-trimming/) [Sparks](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/sparks/tree-trimming/) [Spanish Springs](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/spanish-springs/tree-trimming/) [Sun Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/sun-valley/tree-trimming/) [Lemmon Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/lemmon-valley/tree-trimming/) [Golden Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/golden-valley/tree-trimming/) [Cold Springs](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/cold-springs/tree-trimming/) [Verdi](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/verdi/tree-trimming/) [Mogul](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/mogul/tree-trimming/) [Washoe Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/washoe-valley/tree-trimming/) [Palomino Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/palomino-valley/tree-trimming/) [Southeast Reno and Hidden Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/southeast-reno/tree-trimming/) [West Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/west-reno/tree-trimming/) [North Central Reno and the University area](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-central-reno/tree-trimming/) [East Sparks](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/east-sparks/tree-trimming/) [North Sparks and Wingfield Springs](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-sparks/tree-trimming/)

## Tree trimming and pruning questions in Northwest Reno and Somersett

Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week.

### My Somersett tree lost half its crown in a storm. Can pruning save it?

Sometimes. It depends on how much of the trunk was torn. The arborist looks at the wound and tells you whether the tree can rebuild a sound structure.

### Should I knock snow off my trees?

Our guide on heavy wet snow covers what is safe to do from the ground. Never stand under a loaded or cracked limb.

### How many visits does structural pruning take?

Usually more than one, spaced a few years apart, because only part of the crown should be removed at a time. The estimate lays out a plan.

### Do you come to Northwest Reno from Carson City?

Yes. It is about 42 miles, or about 54 minutes without traffic.