Contents (Click To Jump)
- 1 What Are the Most Common Tree Issues In Carmichael?
- 2 Does Carmichael Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
- 3 Who Is Responsible For Fallen Tree Removal In Carmichael?
- 4 How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Carmichael?
- 5 Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Carmichael?
- 6 What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines In Carmichael?
- 7 How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Carmichael?
What Are the Most Common Tree Issues In Carmichael?
With Carmichael so intrinsically tied to a major metropolitan area like Sacramento, we see all kinds of problems happen with trees around here. While some issues are unique, there are some common problems that we see a lot of with trees in the community:
- Overgrown trees in early spring
- Pine beetles and borers
- Oak Anthracnose
- Fungal infections during the rainy season
- Sudden Oak Death
Does Carmichael Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
Strictly speaking, Carmichael isn’t a city but an unincorporated community. That essentially means that we aren’t provided any municipal services around here, but it’s not exactly the wild west. Sacramento County takes on a lot of the regulatory role that a city normally does for us, but unfortunately, they also don’t offer any resources or assistance for tree removal issues. In fact, you may actually need a permit from the county to remove a tree on your private property. If the tree is a California native oak or a prominent landmark within the community, you’ll need to apply for a removal permit through the Office of Environmental Planning and Review.
Who Is Responsible For Fallen Tree Removal In Carmichael?
According to California law, maintenance and care of trees are the responsibility of the owner of the land on which the trees grew, and this would include their removal when necessary. Sacramento County doesn’t like to let hazardous clutter pile up, even on private property, so fallen trees will have to be dealt with rather quickly to avoid running afoul of Sacramento code enforcement.
It’s important to note that even if the tree isn’t on your land anymore after it’s fallen, it’s still your responsibility if it grew on your property. Generally, you’re not responsible for damage caused by falling trees unless you had reasonable notice from the city or a neighbor that the tree was at risk of falling. Even in cases where you may not be liable for damages caused by the tree, you still have a responsibility to pay for its removal.
If you’re a homeowner?
For homeowners here in Carmichael, trees are a valuable part of their property and a vital part of their investment. For the trees on your property, you want to carefully cultivate their health over time so that the value of your property can grow alongside your trees. Caring for your trees, though, includes promptly removing a fallen tree when necessary. Fallen trees on your property can be breeding grounds for diseases and pests, as well as create a persistent safety hazard. Furthermore, their very presence on your property can be a troublesome eyesore, which can have the opposite effects that your healthy trees do and decrease the value of your property.
If you’re a renter?
If you’re a tenant at a Carmichael rental property, chances are the burden of caring for your trees and removing any fallen ones falls on your landlord rather than you. While it is true that most lease agreements include standard property upkeep such as lawn care as tenant responsibilities, trees are considered a more permanent feature of the property. Just like building maintenance, the law generally assumes tree maintenance falls into the purview of the property owner since it is seen as property development rather than upkeep.
If fallen trees on the property you rent need removal, contact your landlord right away. Your landlord has an obligation to deal with these issues under the California rental code and should act promptly to prevent the fallen tree from becoming a nuisance to you or your neighbors. Your landlord may want to contact us themselves or have you arrange the matter and just compensate you later. Either way, the decision is your landlord’s to make and the financial responsibility of removing trees falls to them.
If you’re a landlord?
If you own a rental property here in Carmichael, the trees on the property are a vital part of your investment. Unless tree care is specifically spelled out in your lease agreement as a tenant’s responsibility, legally the burden of tree care and removal of fallen trees is yours. While this may be an occasional hassle, you don’t really want tenants making decisions about your trees. Your tenants have no vested interest in the long-term value of your property. The health of the trees on your property can have a massive influence on the growth of your investment over time, and allowing anyone but you to make decisions about the care of your trees potentially puts your future in the hands of someone else.
If you’re a neighbor?
If a neighbor of yours here in Carmichael has fallen trees that need to be removed, they have a responsibility and an obligation to remove those trees in a timely manner. Aging and rotting fallen trees in a neighbor’s yard could adversely affect the ecosystem of your own property and indirectly reduce the appeal of your home by being an eyesore next door. Reach out to your neighbors and see if you can resolve the issue. If you’re unable to come to an arrangement, Sacramento Code Enforcement may be able to help out.
If a neighbor’s tree falls into your yard, they still have a responsibility to remove the tree regardless of where it ended up. A neighbor’s fallen tree in your yard could cause significantly more inconvenience than if it fell in their own yard. If you have to remove the tree more urgently than your neighbor was able to get to it, the neighbor who owns the tree will have to compensate you for the cost of its removal.
How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Carmichael?
Our soil here in the Sacramento area tends to be deep, but also poorly drained. While trees love to get big and strong with deep soils to grow massive root balls in, the drainage of our soil can sometimes adversely affect larger root systems and deny them the water they need for their deep roots.
Our soils tend to be alluvium here, deposited over centuries by rivers and streams. This means our soil is primarily composed of sediment broken down and dispersed by water over geological time scales. The fine particles of clay and minerals that make up our soil, however, can often form a thick and compressed muddy texture in the presence of moisture. This then locks out further moisture and prevents surface water from draining down into soil, and can result in moisture being trapped above ground.
This can lead to flooding issues, and eventually to shifts in the soil. The clay that expands while wet to lock together soil contracts again as it dries. This leaves room for soil to settle, which could lead to landscaping issues that may cause stability problems for trees if not dealt with.
Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Carmichael?
Trees have it pretty nice in Carmichael– rare snowfall, plenty of rain, cool winters, and mild summers. Trees do often thrive in this environment but with current drought conditions an annual concern in past years, you want to be sure not to plant trees on your property that will need additional irrigation beyond what nature provides.
What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines In Carmichael?
Trees near power lines compose a significant hazard to the safety of everyone in the vicinity. Dead trees near power lines can be a serious issue and should be reported to the Sacramento municipal energy utility as soon as they’re discovered. It’s absolutely imperative that only trained technicians from the utility company perform work near power lines. Not only can working near transmission lines and transformer boxes be extremely hazardous to untrained arborists but interruption of this infrastructure could cause widespread outages for many households in the area and could potentially start dangerous and costly fires.
How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Carmichael?
Tree removal costs in the Carmichael area tend to be right in line with the national average. This means that some tree removals may run as little as $160 while others can reach up to around $2,100. The average cost is about $675. Each tree removal job is unique and the cost will rely heavily on several different factors.
Size
Tree size can be a big indicator of the price for tree removal. Not only are big trees just more work to remove, but they can also pose serious safety risks for our arborists as we work to remove them. Big trees can fall with a lot of force, and it’ll take extra planning to ensure that all surrounding trees, structures, and people are safe during removal.
Accessibility
If a tree is particularly hard to get to, that may affect the cost of its removal. Trees that are a bit off the beaten path may simply complicate the removal if we can’t get trucks and tools directly to the tree. For trees that are growing in a cluster of healthy trees, removing the offending tree without damaging the others may prove difficult and require some extra time. Likewise, trees next to structures could be a logistical hassle to get out while ensuring the safety of the building. We’ve removed all kinds of trees and we’re up to the challenge but trees growing in challenging situations do take extra work.
Tree Health
The health of your tree can seriously influence how its removal goes. Trees that are sick with diseases or infestations may still pose a threat to other trees growing in the vicinity and extra efforts will have to be taken to protect them. If your tree has been dead for a while, moisture may have worn down on it over time and rotted it. Rotten branches and limbs can splinter unpredictably and cause serious hazards for our arborists as well as cause unforeseen complications to removal. While none of these issues make removal impossible, they will require special tools and planning to address them.
