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Tree Trimming in Garden Valley

Yes, Garden Valley counts as ours. Ring (530) 240-2208, and someone who prunes on the Divide gets booked to come out.

Just let us know your road and what's going on with the tree. We'll pass along the details so nobody arrives guessing.

Johntown on Johntown Creek

Originally the settlement was Johntown, honoring a sailor whose gold strike started it. Johntown Creek runs through, and the town lies roughly 6.25 miles north-northwest of Chili Bar at close to 1,949 feet.

The first community hall went up in 1856, built by the Sons of Temperance. It was replaced in the 1870s and again in 1933. James Marshall, the man whose gold find at Sutter's Mill started the rush, was a regular visitor.

Kids here go to schools in the Black Oak Mine Unified School District.

A note about dust

Like many foothill spots in El Dorado County, Garden Valley sits in a region with significant levels of asbestos in the soil. Its roads were paved in 1986 partly to cut down on the dust.

For tree work, that's worth a thought. Stump grinding, dragging brush and driving on bare dirt all kick up dust. Ask your pro how they plan to keep it down. If dust worries you, say so when you call and we'll pass it along.

Trees at this height

At just under 2,000 feet, Garden Valley has a mix of oaks and pines. A UC Master Gardener talk on county oaks puts interior live oaks below 5,000 feet. They're often wider than they are tall and can have several trunks.

Those multi-trunk live oaks can get crowded. Trunks rub, and the center fills with dead twigs. A pro can thin and clean them in summer, which is the season for evergreen oaks like these.

Pines need a different calendar. UC says no pine pruning from February to mid-October, during bark beetle flight season.

Creekside trees

Homes near Johntown Creek and the little draws around it often have willows, alders and big oaks along the water. Those trees grow fast where the ground stays damp.

Alder is worth a mention. UC's mistletoe guide lists alder among the trees that get hit especially hard by leafy mistletoe. If you see green clumps in your alders, have them looked at before the berries come on in fall.

Fast growth near water also means heavy limbs. A light thinning every few years keeps those limbs from getting too long and heavy. Ask the pro to leave the shape natural and to skip topping, which the arborist group says leads to weak regrowth.

Price for a mid-size tree

For trees between 21 and 40 feet, Thumbtack's national numbers show $768 to $1,362. Treat it as a rough marker. The pro sets the true price on site.

A tip on cost. Ask whether chipping or hauling is included. Fixr puts chipping at about $50 to $100 extra.

Nearby

Also close: tree trimming in Kelsey and tree trimming in Coloma. There's more on mistletoe removal, and the whole map is on our towns. Home base is tree trimming in Placerville.