Tree removal in Yerington, NV

Yerington is the Lyon County seat, a farm town in Mason Valley on the Walker River. Its weather station records about 4.6 inches of precipitation a year, so every large tree in town owes its life to irrigation water.

At a glance

• About 60% of Yerington homes built before 1980; about 31% before 1960
• Yerington station: about 4.6 inches of precipitation a year
• No fire of 300+ acres mapped within about 10 miles since 1980
• About 59 miles from our yard, about 78 minutes without traffic

Why are old irrigated trees a special case?

They grew fast on plentiful water and are now very large for a desert town. A tree planted beside a 1950s house has seventy years of growth in it. Its limbs reach over the roof, the alley, the power drop and often the neighbor's yard too.

Old age shows up as dead wood in the crown, decay where big limbs were cut or torn off long ago, and hollows at the base. If watering methods changed along the way, from flood irrigation to sprinklers or to none, the tree may have been under stress for years. The certified arborist who visits looks at all of this before recommending anything. The background is in warning signs before a tree fails.

Is fire a reason to remove trees in Yerington?

Not usually, and we will not pretend otherwise. The USDA Forest Service ranks Yerington's wildfire risk to homes at about the 62nd percentile nationally, among the lowest of the towns we serve, and places about 80% of its buildings in the minimal exposure zone. National Interagency Fire Center records show no fire of 300 acres or more with a mapped center within about 10 miles since 1980. Irrigated farmland surrounds the town.

Here the case for removal rests on the tree itself: its condition and what it would hit.

Should a big shade tree be removed at all?

Think hard first. The Yerington station's average summer high is about 90 degrees (NOAA 1991-2020 normals), and a mature tree on the west side of a house is worth a great deal in July. If the trunk and main limbs are sound, pruning to take out dead wood and shorten heavy limbs may keep it for many years.

An arborist consultation in Yerington is the way to find out. If the answer is removal, you will know the reason.

How does a 59-mile trip work?

As a planned visit. Yerington is about 78 minutes from our yard, so the estimate and the work are each arranged ahead, and it pays to have every tree on the property looked at in one trip. We do not list emergency service for Yerington and promise no arrival times, though the phone is answered at all hours.

On the day, the crew brings what the plan calls for: chipper and chip truck, the 75-foot boom truck or the crane for tall trees over buildings, and dump trucks for the wood. Ask at the estimate what will be done with the stump.