Crane tree removal in Sparks, NV

Sparks grew in two waves. Census estimates show about 34% of its homes were built before 1980 and about 40% since 2000. Crane work belongs mostly to the first group.

At a glance

• About 34% of Sparks homes were built before 1980
• About 62% of Sparks housing is single-family detached
• No private-tree removal permit found for Sparks
• About 41 minutes from our yard without traffic

The side-gate problem

Picture an older lot with the house across most of its width and one gate at the side. Everything behind the house has to leave through that gate or over the roof. For a small tree, the gate is fine. For a tree with a trunk too heavy to carry, the old answer was to cut it into short rounds and wheel them out one at a time, or to bring a loader through and repair the lawn afterward.

A crane uses the other route. It sets up in front, reaches over the house and brings the tree out in a handful of large pieces. The back yard sees a climber and a rope, nothing with wheels or tracks.

How many Sparks homes are we talking about?

The Census Bureau counts about 45,900 housing units in Sparks. About 34% predate 1980, around 15,500 homes, and about 9% predate 1960. About 62% of all housing is single-family detached. Those older detached houses, with fenced back yards and trees planted when the house was new, are where a crane makes sense.

Why do trees in a dry city get so big?

Because people water them. The Sparks weather station averages about 8.4 inches of precipitation a year, far too little for a large shade tree on its own. Trees here live on irrigation, and when the watering changes or stops, a mature tree can decline quickly. Dead and declining trees are brittle, which is one more reason to hold each section with a crane before cutting it. Our guide to watering mature trees in the high desert covers the care side.

The steps, in order

1. Free visit: a certified arborist checks the tree, the access and what is overhead.
2. Set-up: the crane is placed and stabilized on outriggers.
3. Rigging: the climber fixes the crane's line at the cut point, judging the weight and how the piece will move.
4. Cut and lift: the climber cuts, the operator holds, then flies the section to the drop zone.
5. Clean-up: wood is cut, chipped and removed from the property.

What about street trees in Sparks?

The Truckee Meadows Water Authority's summary of local tree ordinances notes that Sparks eliminated its urban forestry program in 2008. We found no permit for private trees. If a tree stands in a street strip or a common area, ask the city or your association who is responsible before work is scheduled.