Tree removal in Wadsworth, NV

Wadsworth is a small, old town on the Truckee River in Washoe County, with about 320 homes. About 43% were built before 1980. It is about 48 miles from our Carson City yard, about 65 minutes without traffic, so every job is arranged ahead.

At a glance

• About 43% of Wadsworth homes were built before 1980
• River-corridor trees grow large: plan for sectional removal
• We own the crane and the 75-foot Altec boom truck
• About 48 miles from our yard, about 65 minutes without traffic

What does the arborist check on a big river tree?

Four things, in order. First the base: mushrooms or conks, soft or missing wood, cavities, and soil heaving on the side away from the lean. Second the trunk and main unions: cracks, seams and old wounds where large limbs meet. Third the crown: how much is dead and how heavy the long limbs are. Fourth the surroundings: buildings, fences, ditches, wires and where a machine can stand.

River soils stay moist, which helps a tree grow and also favors decay in old roots and trunks. A tree can carry a full crown of leaves on a hollow stem. Our page on root and trunk decay shows the signs. Nobody can judge that from the road.

How does a tree that size come down?

In sections, from the top. If the wood is sound, a climber or the boom truck operator removes limbs one at a time and lowers them. If the tree is too decayed to climb or the pieces are too heavy to rope down, the crane takes the weight of each section before it is cut. The method is set on the estimate visit and written into the estimate.

Big trees make big wood. Log sections are loaded with the track loader and hauled in our dump trucks, unless you want them left. Read cottonwoods: keep, prune or remove first if you are unsure, because large cottonwoods can often be kept for years with dead wooding and weight reduction.

How should I plan a job 65 minutes from your yard?

Ask for one visit that covers everything. List each tree, say what worries you about it, and mention stumps. Stump grinding in Wadsworth and pruning can be estimated at the same time, which avoids a second mobilization.

We do not advertise emergency response in Wadsworth. The phone is answered 24 hours a day and after severe storms we help anyone in need, but we will not promise a time from this distance. A large tree with a known defect should be dealt with before winter winds.

Local conditions in brief

The Fernley 2.6 WNW gauge, about 3 miles away, averages about 7.6 inches of precipitation a year (NOAA 1991-2020 normals), so away from the river everything depends on irrigation. The Forest Service ranks Wadsworth's wildfire risk to homes higher than about 88% of US communities. The 2011 Nixon Fire (11,195 acres) and the 2011 Narrows Fire (3,319 acres) were both mapped within about 9 miles. About 29% of homes are manufactured homes, where a large tree overhead deserves an early look.