Tree removal in Topaz Ranch Estates, NV

Topaz Ranch Estates lies in the far south of Douglas County near Topaz Lake, at about 5,200 feet. It is dry, open country: the Topaz Lake weather station half a mile away averages under 6 inches of precipitation a year. About six in ten homes are manufactured homes, and about a quarter of households heat mainly with wood.

At a glance

• About 54% of buildings in the direct wildfire exposure zone
• Topaz Lake station: about 5.9 inches of precipitation a year
• About 26% of households heat mainly with wood
• About 43 miles and 63 minutes from our yard without traffic

How do we plan a job an hour away?

By doing it in one trip. Before the estimate, walk your property and note every tree and stump you want looked at, not only the worst one. The arborist can then write a single estimate, and the crew arrives with the right machines for all of it. If a neighbor also has trees to look at, ask for estimates on one day.

We do not list emergency response for Topaz Ranch Estates because of the distance. Our phone is answered around the clock at 775.232.8243, and after a severe storm we help anyone in need, but we will not promise a time. The better plan at this distance is to deal with a doubtful tree while it is still standing.

What makes a tree a priority here?

Fire exposure. The USDA Forest Service ranks Topaz Ranch Estates' risk to homes higher than 98% of US communities, and about 54% of buildings are in the direct exposure zone. The 1994 Holbrook Fire (7,444 acres) and the 2012 Tre Fire (7,073 acres) each had a mapped center about 3 miles away. The 2017 Slinkard Fire (9,096 acres) and the 2004 Gates Complex (8,905 acres) were mapped within about 7 miles.

With that record, the first trees to go are dead ones and any tree in contact with the home, a deck or an outbuilding. Next come trees and tall shrubs crowded within 30 feet of the house.

Do you leave the wood for the stove?

If you want it, say so. About 26% of households here heat mainly with wood according to the American Community Survey, one of the highest shares in our service area, so a removed tree has real value on site. Tell the estimator and it goes on the estimate: wood left, brush chipped or hauled.

One caution from the fire side: stack firewood well away from the house in fire season. University of Nevada, Reno Extension's Living With Fire guide keeps the first 5 feet around a home free of anything that burns.

What grows at 5,200 feet on 6 inches of rain?

Native plants adapted to drought do. Planted shade trees survive only where someone waters them, and winters are cold: the area is USDA zone 6b, and the Topaz Lake station averages about 18 inches of snow a year. A planted tree that loses its water supply declines within a few seasons and becomes a removal. See drought stress and dieback.

What equipment comes down US 395?

Whatever the estimate calls for: chipper and chip truck for most jobs, the boom truck for tall trees within reach of a driveway, the track loader for heavy wood. For brush and many small trees over a large parcel, lot clearing and brush mowing with the masticating head covers ground faster than hand work.