Home / Our towns / Pollock Pines area

Tree Trimming in Pollock Pines

Trees in Pollock Pines due for a trim? Dial (530) 240-2208. A pro who works the ridge gets tracked down, and your visit goes on the calendar.

Head roughly 13 miles east of Placerville along Highway 50 and you're there. Pros based down our way drive it constantly.

Life at almost 4,000 feet

Perched around 3,980 feet on the Sierra's western slope, Pollock Pines runs along a thickly wooded ridgetop above the South Fork American River, on its southern side. The 2020 census counted roughly 7,112 residents.

Snow comes with the territory. A winter might bring as little as 6 inches or as much as 6 feet. NOAA averages land near 63.4 inches yearly, falling mainly December through March.

Fire officials rate the area a very high fire hazard severity zone. State cap and trade grant money has paid for vegetation trimming along the ridgeline just south of Highway 50.

Pines and snow

Tall pines and heavy wet snow don't always get along. Snow piles up on the needles, and weak or dead limbs give way. A pine with a cracked top or a hanging branch over the roof is worth a call before the next storm.

Autumn is prime time for pine work on the ridge. With beetles flying February into mid-October, UC wants pine cuts held off until they're done. Most trimming therefore squeezes in between mid-October and the first heavy snow.

Dead or hanging limbs over a house are different. A pro can deal with those whenever it's safe.

Beetle watch

Pines here are what bark beetles are after, especially pines that are thirsty, sick or hurt, per UC. Signs to look for are pitch tubes on the lower trunk, boring dust in the bark cracks, and needles fading yellow.

If the whole crown turns reddish brown, UC says the tree is already dead. At that point the job is removal rather than trimming. Tell us when you call so we send the right kind of pro.

Don't stack fresh pine branches next to a live pine. UC says beetles can breed in fresh cut wood and move to nearby trees. Chip it, haul it, or seal firewood under thick clear plastic in the sun.

Pine prices

Pines cost more to trim than most trees because they get so tall. Fixr's national guide puts pine trimming at $200 to $1,800. Thumbtack lists $1,126 to $1,957 for trees over 40 feet. A ridge lot with a steep drop behind the house will cost more than a flat one. You get the real number from the pro on the visit.

Sportsman's Hall and old ridge history

Pollock Pines has deep roots on the old road east. Sportsman's Hall, also called Twelve Mile House, served as an original Pony Express relay stop right here. Brothers John and James Blair got it going in 1852, and it's still running.

On April 4, 1860, rider Sam Hamilton came in from Placerville and handed the mail to Warren Upson, who rode on east two minutes later. Lots of the big pines you see along the ridge have been growing a long time too. Treat the old ones gently.

Close by

Drop down the hill for tree trimming in Camino. Read about pines and bark beetles, go back to tree trimming in Placerville, or see all our towns.