Crane tree removal in Zephyr Cove, NV

Zephyr Cove sits on the southeast shore of Lake Tahoe at about 6,258 feet. A third of its homes, by Census estimate, date from before 1960. An old cabin and a big tree a few feet apart is the usual picture.

At a glance

• About 73% of homes built before 1980, about 33% before 1960
• Wildfire risk to homes higher than 98% of US communities
• TRPA permit over 14 inches in diameter at breast height
• About 25.5 miles from our yard

What is special about removing a tree beside an old cabin?

Older buildings forgive less. A cabin from the 1950s may have a light roof structure, a stone chimney, single-pane windows and a deck that wraps the trunk. Sometimes the tree and the building have grown together, with a deck or a roofline notched to fit.

Lowering heavy wood beside a structure like that asks a lot of ropes and luck. The crane method removes the luck. The climber attaches the line, cuts, and the operator lifts the piece away from the cabin before moving it anywhere else. Where a deck has been built around the trunk, the last sections can be lifted out through the opening.

Is my tree big enough to need a TRPA permit?

Probably, if a crane is being discussed. The threshold is 14 inches in diameter at breast height for a live tree, and 6 inches on a lakeshore lot for trees between the house and the lake. A trunk that measures 44 inches around is about 14 inches across. A dead tree that could fall on a house does not need a TRPA permit. The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District handles defensible space evaluations and tree permits on this shore. The agency decides, so get the answer before booking the work.

Why do so many removals here have a fire reason?

The Forest Service rates Zephyr Cove's wildfire risk to homes higher than 98% of US communities. About 30% of buildings are in the direct exposure class and about 67% in the indirect class, where embers and neighboring buildings carry the fire. The 2002 Gondola Fire, mapped at 643 acres, was centered about 4 miles away.

A dead pine leaning on a cabin roof is a fall hazard and a fire path at once. Our guide to removing dead pines after bark beetles explains why standing dead trees should not be left.

What does the crew look at before the lift?

Before the lift, the crew looks at where the crane can stand, what is overhead, how close the cabin, deck and neighbors are, and where the sections will land.

• Where the crane can stand: slope, surface and room for outriggers
• What is overhead: wires and the crowns of trees that are staying
• How close the cabin, deck and neighbors are
• Where sections will land and how the wood leaves the lot

A certified arborist makes this assessment before the work begins, and the estimate is free.

Does winter stop the work?

Zephyr Cove is in USDA hardiness zone 6b, colder than Carson City, and snow can close off a set-up spot for a time. Planned removals are easiest when the ground is bare. Storm emergencies are different: the phone is answered 24 hours a day for those.