Tree service in Sierra Madre, California

Empire Tree Care takes tree jobs in Sierra Madre, and the question before any cut is whether the tree is protected. A permit is required to remove or substantially trim a protected tree on private property. Substantial trimming means removing 25 percent or more of the canopy or any limb 3 inches or wider. The species the city names are Coast Live Oak, Engelmann Oak, Western Sycamore and Southern California Black Walnut, once the trunk is more than 4 inches across. Look at the trunk and the leaves, and have a guess at the species ready when you call.

Oaks also have a season. The city says to prune oaks only between July and September to prevent fungal infections, so plan an oak tree trimming job around those months. The fire department adds its own limits. Under its defensible space rules, grasses and weeds may be 3 inches high at most, or 18 inches on slopes steeper than 20 percent. Owners whose land misses the standard get a written notice and are generally given 30 days, and the Brush Abatement Program begins June 1, so brush clearance is worth lining up before that date.

The city does not maintain trees on private property, so a tree in your yard is yours to look after. That makes tree maintenance yours to schedule, and the city's calendar already sets two dates, July to September for oaks and June 1 for the Brush Abatement Program. For trimmings, the green bin takes yard waste, including leaves and branches. When a trim leaves more than the bin will hold, that is tree debris removal. Removing a protected tree needs a permit, so a tree removal job starts with the city.

Jobs here run from the Arcadia base, and Sierra Madre is well inside the 45 miles the owner will drive. A call books an estimate visit. When the cutting is done you go over the yard with them, and the invoice comes last. What you were quoted is what the invoice says. They work Monday through Saturday. If a written brush notice has come from the city, have it in front of you when you call and mention the date on it. For a second property in Pasadena, see the Pasadena page.

What Empire Tree Care does in Sierra Madre

• Oak tree trimming: The city says to prune oaks only between July and September, so oak work follows a season
• Brush clearance: Fire department rules cap grass and weeds at 3 inches, or 18 inches on slopes steeper than 20 percent
• Tree removal: Removing a protected tree needs a city permit first
• Fire safety tree trimming: The fire department's Brush Abatement Program begins June 1
• Tree maintenance: The city does not maintain trees on private property, so upkeep is yours to schedule
• All 35 services

Before you call, read how Empire Tree Care prices a tree service job.

Also near Sierra Madre

Pasadena, Arcadia, Altadena, Monrovia, Temple City, and the rest of the San Gabriel Valley.