Frequently Asked Questions

Most of it comes down to height, access and what the tree is leaning over. National guides from HomeAdvisor and This Old House put trees under 30 feet at roughly $150 to $450, 30 to 60 feet at about $420 to $1,200, and trees over 80 feet at $1,000 to $2,000 or more; This Old House's Santa Rosa page lists an average around $833. Crane jobs and emergencies run higher. We price your tree in writing after seeing it.

It depends on the tree and where it stands. Santa Rosa's City Code Chapter 17-24 covers tree permits and street trees, and the city gives heritage trees special weight; large native oaks and redwoods are the trees most likely to raise the question. Unincorporated areas follow Sonoma County's rules instead, including valley oak habitat rules for oaks over 20 inches in diameter. We flag permit questions during the estimate so you can confirm with the city or county before work.

Not automatically. Some trees with bark scorch recover. Others leaf out for a season or two while the cambium under the scar is dead and decay spreads, and Douglas fir in particular declined in large numbers in the Fountaingrove open space after 2017. We look at how much of the trunk circumference was killed, whether the crown is thinning, and what the tree would hit, then tell you what we see.

It could be, and only a lab test confirms it. The California Oak Mortality Task Force says trunk cankers from sudden oak death show up on coast live oak, black oak, canyon live oak, Shreve's oak and tanoak, and that infected California bay laurels nearby are the main source. Bay leaf samples can go to the county Agricultural Commissioner or UC Cooperative Extension for testing. An infected oak only needs to come down if it is dead or likely to fail onto something.

If the wire runs pole to pole, it is PG&E's line: call 911 if it is down or sparking, then PG&E at 1-800-743-5000, and stay away. PG&E crews trim and remove trees near their lines. The service drop from the pole to your house is the owner's responsibility to keep clear, and that work should be done by line-clearance qualified people. Once the utility has made the line safe, we can take down and clean up the rest of the tree.

Yes. Call (707) 385-5238 any time and leave the address, what fell and what it landed on. We sort storm calls by danger first: trees on roofs, cars or blocked driveways and exits come ahead of trees lying in a yard. Take photos for your insurer before anything is moved, if it is safe to do so.

Smaller trimmings, yes. In Santa Rosa the Recology green cart takes yard waste along with food scraps, and the standard cart is 96 gallons, which fills fast after a removal. Logs and large limbs are not cart material, so the quote spells out whether we chip and haul everything, leave chips for mulch, or leave rounds for firewood.

Get a written quote that lists each tree, the cleanup and whether the stump is included. In California, tree work over $1,000 requires a contractor license in the C-49 Tree and Palm classification, and you can look up any contractor's license on the Contractors State License Board website. Ask for proof of liability and workers' compensation coverage sent from the insurer.

A small or medium tree with open access is often done in a few hours. A large oak or redwood over a house, or a tree on a steep lot where every piece is lowered and carried, can take a full day or more. The quote gives an expected time.

Yes, in sections. Redwood wood is light for its size but trunks are tall and straight, so pieces are cut short and lowered on ropes, or a crane lifts them over the house when there is no path out. The stump is often large and may need grinding in stages.

It can if heavy rounds are dropped or equipment crosses wet ground. We lay plywood or mats where needed, lower wood instead of dropping it near hardscape, and in a wet Santa Rosa winter may suggest waiting for the ground to firm up if the tree is not a hazard.

Only if it is on the quote. Many people grind the stump at the same visit; others leave it for later or want it cut flush. Grinding is listed as its own line with the depth and cleanup spelled out.

Yes. Oak splits into good firewood. If an oak or bay had sudden oak death, the state's guidance is to use the wood on your own property rather than moving it, or take it tarped to a landfill.

Call (707) 385-5238 and leave the address and what happened, at any hour. If anyone is hurt or a wire is involved, call 911 first. We prioritize trees on occupied structures and blocked exits.

Often, when a tree damages a covered structure such as the house or a fence, insurers pay for removing the part of the tree causing damage, up to policy limits. A tree that falls in open yard without hitting anything may not be covered. Photograph everything before it is moved and call your insurer.

Usually the insurer of the property that was damaged handles the claim first, regardless of where the tree grew, unless the tree was clearly dead or neglected. Talk to your insurer; we can provide a written description of the tree's condition.

Wet clay soil and wind can pull a full canopy over even when the trunk is sound, especially if roots were cut by trenching or paving, or a creek bank washed out underneath. Decay in the roots from fungi or sudden oak death is also invisible from the outside until the tree fails.

Small branches on the ground, yes. A trunk that is bent, pinned or resting on something holds tension that can snap a cut piece in an unexpected direction. Leave those, and anything near a wire, to trained crews.

You are paying for the crane, its operator, setup time and often traffic control on top of the climbing crew. ArboStar's 2026 guide puts most residential crane removals at $3,500 to $8,000. On very large trees over homes, the crane can still be the cheaper option because it cuts days of rope work down to hours.

Outrigger pads spread the load, and mats go under them on soft ground. Older or thin driveways, septic tanks and leach fields are checked during the estimate and avoided. Wet winter ground can mean waiting a few days if the tree is not an emergency.

If the crane sets up in a public street or blocks a lane, the city may require a street-use or encroachment permit. We identify that during the estimate so it can be handled before the job date.

Often, from the street above or below the tree, as long as the crane can reach it at a weight it can lift. On some Fountaingrove and Skyhawk lots the reach is too long, and rope rigging or a combination of the two is used instead.

Deciduous trees such as valley oak and bigleaf maple are bare in winter. Scratch a twig with a thumbnail: green, moist tissue underneath means it is alive. Evergreens such as coast live oak, redwood and pine that turn brown and stay brown in the growing season are likely dead or dying.

Not if it cannot hit anything. Standing dead trees are good wildlife habitat in open areas. One within reach of a house, driveway, fence, road or play area should come down, sooner rather than later, because it gets harder and costlier to remove as it decays.

Some can. Redwoods and some oaks resprout and recover; Douglas fir and pines with most of the trunk circumference killed rarely do. The amount of dead bark around the trunk, crown dieback and new growth over the following seasons tell the story.

On its own, usually not. The California Oak Mortality Task Force says disease spread alone is generally not a valid reason. Removal makes sense when the oak is dead or so decayed it is likely to fail onto something. Removing bay leaves within 15 feet of a healthy oak's trunk may reduce its risk.

Firewood use on your own property is fine and is the state's suggested option for sudden oak death wood. Open pile burning within Santa Rosa requires a city permit and suitable weather, and fire officials generally allow it only after fire season ends.

People use the words interchangeably. Pruning usually means selective cuts for the tree's health and structure; trimming often means cutting back for clearance or looks. Either way, cuts should follow the ANSI A300 standard.

For native oaks, the dry season is generally the lower-risk time for cuts, since sudden oak death and many decay fungi spread in wet weather. Remove dead or broken limbs over targets whenever you see them. Keep pruning light on mature oaks; they do not respond well to heavy cutting.

PG&E trims around its own lines between poles. The service drop to your house is the owner's responsibility to keep clear, and anyone working within 10 feet of an energized line must be line-clearance qualified. Call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000 with questions about a specific line.

Redwoods can be thinned and their lower limbs removed, but topping them causes multiple new tops that are weakly attached and can break later. If a redwood is simply too tall for its spot, removal or a reduction plan over several years is usually the better choice.

Most guidance for mature trees keeps live canopy removal to a modest share in one season, and less on older or stressed trees. Removing too much forces the tree to push weak sprouts and can bring on decline.

For lawn or planting, several inches below grade is typical. For a patio, fence line or foundation, deeper grinding and root removal may be needed, and the quote says how deep.

Eucalyptus resprouts readily from the stump. Grinding deep removes most of the buds; any sprouts that come up later should be cut back while small. Leaving a eucalyptus stump untouched almost always means regrowth.

Not right on top of it if chips are left in the hole; they break down and settle. Remove the chips and backfill with soil, or plant a few feet away from the old trunk.

Grinding turns the stump into chips below ground and leaves deeper roots to rot. Removal digs or pulls out the root crown, which leaves a big hole and costs more, and is mainly needed where something will be built.

Yes, it counts as digging. Call 811 at least two working days ahead; it is free and marks public utility lines. Private lines such as irrigation and lighting are not marked, so point those out.