Tree removal in Stateline, NV

Stateline is a resort district more than a neighborhood. The Census Bureau counts about 290 housing units, fewer than one in five of them detached houses, at the south end of Lake Tahoe's Nevada shore. The trees stand beside parking areas, walkways, condominiums and lodging, so a removal has to be planned around people as much as around the tree.

At a glance

• About 8% of Stateline homes are owner-occupied: most jobs are for managers and associations
• TRPA permit for live trees over 14 inches in diameter at 4.5 feet
• Nevada Business License # 20131580674 and fully insured
• About 45 minutes from our Carson City yard without traffic

Who signs off on a tree removal in Stateline?

The property owner, or whoever the owner has authorized. In a condominium that is normally the association for trees on common ground, and for a rental it is the owner or the management company, not the tenant. We write the free estimate for whoever holds that authority, in plain language a board can read and approve.

Managers usually ask for proof of insurance before a contractor comes on site. Ask and we will provide it. Our guide to proof of insurance from a tree service lists what to request, and tree service for HOAs and property managers covers how we work with boards.

What does TRPA require on a commercial or shared property?

The same threshold as on a private lot: the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency requires a permit to remove a live tree over 14 inches in diameter at breast height, and over 6 inches between a lakeshore building and the lake. Trees tied to an approved development project can carry their own conditions, so check the property's file with the agency. A dead tree that could fall on a building needs no TRPA permit.

The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District evaluates Nevada south shore properties and issues defensible space tree permits. The agency decides. Having the permit number on hand when you request the estimate saves a second round of paperwork.

How do you take a tree down beside a parking lot or a walkway?

In sections, with the ground below closed off. The arborist's plan marks where the crane or the 75-foot boom truck sets up, which parking stalls and paths need to be coned off, and where the chipper and trucks stand. Pavement is a help here: a machine can often get right beside the tree, which shortens the job.

Tell us about check-in days, deliveries and events when you ask for the estimate, so the work date causes the least disruption.

Is wildfire a factor in Stateline?

Yes, though the pattern differs from the wooded residential streets nearby. The Forest Service ranks Stateline's risk to homes higher than about 96% of US communities. About 18% of its buildings are in the direct exposure zone and about 81% in the indirect zone, where embers are the threat. The 2002 Gondola Fire, mapped at 643 acres, was centered about 2 miles from Stateline. Dead trees and dense young growth near buildings are the first things a fire district evaluation will point to.

Where is the boundary of our service?

The state line itself. We serve Stateline and the rest of Tahoe's Nevada south shore, including Kingsbury and Zephyr Cove. We do not take work in California.