Tree Removal in Forestville, CA

Tree Removal in Forestville often means one thing: a tree much taller than the house, on a slope, with little open ground below. The town of about 3,264 people sits where the vineyards and apple orchards of the rolling hills to the east and south give way to redwood forest to the west. Plenty of homes here were built right into that forest. Redwoods and Douglas-firs of 100 feet or more within a few yards of a roof are common.

Why tall conifers are their own category

A redwood that size cannot be felled in one piece on most residential lots. It is climbed and taken down from the top in sections, each one lowered on rigging, or, where there is road access and the lot allows it, picked off in large pieces with a crane. Douglas-firs carry heavy limbs that can tear on the way down. Bays and tanoaks in the understory are often removed at the same time. Every one of these jobs starts with a careful look at where pieces can land.

Permits for redwoods

Forestville is unincorporated, so Sonoma County's rules apply. Redwood is a protected species, and a zoning permit is required for redwoods 6 inches in diameter or more. Very large redwoods, 48 inches or more, generally require a use permit. There are exemptions: removal needed to maintain a legal home, dead or hazardous trees within a structure's defensible space, and trees an insurer requires removed within 100 feet of an occupied building. If you are removing a redwood for insurance, keep the insurer's letter. For mitigation, the county's in-lieu fee is $510 per arboreal value point; its example is a 36-inch redwood at six points, $3,060.

Sudden oak death in the west county

The 2019 sudden oak death survey found positive trees between Guerneville and Duncan Mills, just downriver, and the county's infection rate roughly doubled from 2018. The pathogen spreads on bay laurel and tanoak leaves. Tanoaks killed by SOD dry out fast and become a fire and falling hazard near homes and driveways.

Fog drip and soft ground

West county redwood country stays damp much of the year, and fog drip keeps soils under the canopy moist even in summer. That means slopes can be slippery and soft, and dragging heavy logs across a yard can tear it up. On steep lots we often leave large wood in place on the slope, cut into rounds, or chip only the brush. Tell us what you want done with the wood and we will plan the cleanup around it.

Getting here and working here

Front Street, the town's main road, runs between Covey Road and Mirabel Road. Many homes are reached by steep, narrow lanes, so we check whether a chipper and truck can get in, whether brush has to be carried, and whether a crane setup is realistic. Recology Sonoma Marin serves unincorporated areas for regular yard waste.

Call (707) 385-5238 for a site visit and written estimate. Get a free estimate