Tree service in Reno, Sparks and the Truckee Meadows

Seventeen of our service-area pages sit in this region, and they are not alike. A street of 1950s houses in ZIP 89509 has little in common with a 2005 cul-de-sac in Spanish Springs or an open parcel in Lemmon Valley. The towns below are grouped by what the trees and the ground ask for.

Where are the big old trees?

Follow the age of the houses. In ZIP 89509, Old Southwest Reno, about 62% of homes were built before 1980 and about a quarter before 1960 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). Lemmon Valley, Golden Valley and Washoe Valley are each about half pre-1980. Streets that age carry cottonwoods, elms and pines that now stand over roofs, fences and service lines, which is where large tree removal and crane-assisted removal earn their keep.

The newer edges are the opposite. Only about 4% of Spanish Springs homes, 5% in ZIP 89523 (Northwest Reno and Somersett) and 9% in ZIP 89521 (South Reno) predate 1980. Trees there are young, so the work is structural pruning, stump grinding and keeping roots away from hardscape.

How high is wildfire risk around Reno?

High, and higher on the edges. The USDA Forest Service ranks Reno's risk to homes above 97.7% of US communities. Lemmon Valley is at 99.2%, Verdi 98.8%, Spanish Springs 98.6% and Cold Springs 98.4%. In Washoe Valley about 94% of buildings sit in the direct-exposure zone, and in Golden Valley about 65%.

Fire history backs the numbers up. The Davis Fire of 2024 is mapped at 5,824 acres within about 10 miles of both Washoe Valley and the South Reno ZIP, and the Poeville Road Fire of 2020 at 2,973 acres within about 10 miles of Reno. Defensible space and brush mowing are spring work for much of this region.

What weather do Truckee Meadows trees live with?

Dry, with a wide spread. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals show 7.35 inches of precipitation and 20.9 inches of snow a year at Reno-Tahoe International Airport, 8.38 and 6.8 inches at the Sparks station, and 10.97 and 16.7 inches at Stead. Elevation runs from about 4,400 feet in Sparks to more than 5,600 feet in ZIP 89511 along the Mt. Rose Highway, where the USDA hardiness zone drops to 6b.

Trees here depend on irrigation, and the afternoon downslope wind tests every weak limb. Read preparing your trees for the Washoe Zephyr.

Which services do we offer in which part of the region?

Tree removal, pruning, stump grinding and arborist visits are offered in every community listed here, while crane work, lot clearing, snow removal and firewood cover specific areas, as listed below.

• Tree removal, pruning, stump grinding and certified arborist visits: every community listed here
• Crane-assisted removal: Reno, Old Southwest Reno, Sparks, Sun Valley, the North Valleys, Lemmon Valley, Golden Valley and Washoe Valley
• Lot clearing and brush mowing: the large-lot communities, from Galena and Washoe Valley to Palomino Valley
• Snow removal: Reno, South Reno, Galena and Sparks
• Firewood: Reno, Sparks and Washoe Valley, by calling the office