Crane tree removal in Old Southwest Reno (89509)

No part of our Reno service area has older housing. The Census Bureau puts the median home in 89509 at 1975 and about 63% of homes before 1980. Old houses, old trees, small gaps between them.

At a glance

• About 63% of homes in ZIP 89509 were built before 1980
• About 25% were built before 1960
• ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff for right-of-way work
• About 41 minutes from our Carson City yard without traffic

Why is an old-neighborhood tree harder to remove?

An older tree crowds the roof, the service wire, garages and fences, so every piece has to be lowered past them. A crane lifts each piece clear of those obstacles instead of threading it between them.

• The crown hangs over your roof and usually a neighbor's as well
• The service wire to the house runs through or under the canopy
• Garages, fences and garden walls sit under the heaviest limbs
• A tree that age can carry decay that makes it unsafe to rig from

Taking such a tree apart on ropes means lowering every piece through that maze. With a crane, each piece is lifted away from the obstacles, not threaded between them.

What about the wire to my house?

The line from the pole to your house is called the service drop, and NV Energy does not clear trees from it. That is the owner's job. A crane can work near a home's wires and other obstacles, and the arborist plans the order of the lifts so wood moves away from the wire. The utility's own primary lines are for NV Energy to deal with.

My tree is in the strip by the street. Whose is it?

Possibly the City's. In Reno, work on a tree in the City right-of-way needs a Tree Work Permit, and a Certified Arborist has to do it. A tree on your own lot needs no City permit to remove. A big tree in the strip between the sidewalk and the curb may well be a street tree, so check before you plan. Reno Urban Forestry answers that question, and our permit guide explains the difference.

Should it be removed at all?

Ask that first. Mature trees are a large part of what this neighborhood is, and they depend on irrigation: a gauge in the ZIP (Reno 2.4 SSW) averages only about 9.6 inches of precipitation a year. Our arborists assess whether a tree needs to come down or whether dead wooding, pruning or cabling will deal with the concern. When removal is the answer, the crane makes it quick and keeps the garden intact.

How is the crane set up on a narrow lot?

The team picks the spot at the estimate, weighing reach, overhead obstacles and how close the buildings are. Outriggers steady the machine. Because the crane does the lifting from one position, no other heavy equipment has to cross the yard.