AFFORDABLE TREE REMOVAL SERVICE IN Palm Springs, CA

What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Palm Springs?

Welcome to Sunny Palm Springs, where hot springs thrive and Coachella Valley is just a short drive. In the famous city of films and year-round days that feel like summer, you’ll find gorgeous palms lining the streets and plenty of vintage boutiques. Palm Springs is a mixture of Hollywood shine and desert getaways. The area is also loved for its mountain views and surplus of hiking trails. California may be known for its palms, but areas in Palm Springs can sometimes resemble a jungle when you head towards the hills. This means that unfortunately, it’s just like every other city in the US, in the fact that trees often experience pests and have to fight off pesky diseases. 

Flatheaded Wood Borers

Recognized for their metallic looks, and even sometimes known as the metallic wood beetle, flatheaded wood borers are a nuisance to palms and other trees. The borer beetle commonly attacks stressed, weakened, or already decaying trees. Not only does the beetle bore tunnels into the bark of trees but they bring bacteria and fungi and leave behind these wood-eating diseases, ultimately destroying, and causing rot to occur. 

Asian Citrus Psyllid

Known primarily for causing severe damage to citrus plants, the Asian citrus psyllid is smaller than a grain of rice. The insect feeds on citrus leaves and stems, leaving behind bacteria that cause the tree to experience what’s known as greening disease. This issue currently has no cure or successful treatment plan and can only be prevented from spreading by removing infested trees. 

Does the City of Palm Springs Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?

The Department of Maintenance and Facilities currently completes an annual palm tree trimming project that assists in caring for palms located on public property. The city does not remove trees on private property and may fine you for violations of code compliance should a dead or decaying tree be left unattended on your property. In some situations, such as a strong storm, city crews will remove debris and downed trees from public streets and parks. During city-wide cleanups like this, city crews may be more willing to pick up limbs or branches from trees, but this will not help in the removal of a fallen tree on private property.

Who Is Responsible For Fallen Tree Removal in Palm Springs?

Tree removal laws and regulations can be hard to keep up with. Especially when it’s not something you deal with on a daily basis. Each state, county, and city may have different ordinances in place. In Palm Springs, determining who is responsible for handling a fallen tree is fairly simple. 

If you’re a homeowner?

In California, ownership of trees is given based on where the trunk of the tree resides. If the trunk is wholly on your property, then you are responsible for that tree should it fall. If the tree is on a boundary line, then you and your neighbor share joint ownership. Due to the 1994 case of Booska v. Patel, neither you nor your neighbor can trim, treat, or cut down a jointly owned tree without the permission of the other. This is to prevent potential harm from coming to the tree.

If you’re a renter?

Most rental contracts will state that basic lawn care and maintenance are your responsibility, but they don’t further explain what all that includes. Unless it’s stated specifically that trimming, pruning, and other care for trees is your duty, then the responsibility of handling a fallen tree remains on the property owner. That’s not to say that if you notice a tree showing signs of decay you shouldn’t report it. Always try to let your landlord know of potential risks like decaying trees, and do so in writing to ensure there’s a paper trail that provides evidence you did your due diligence. 

If you’re a landlord?

Unless agreed upon in the lease you have with your current tenant, you retain responsibility for tree maintenance and care. Even with an agreement with your tenant, as the owner of the property, you are still held accountable for liability and ensuring that diseased or decaying trees aren’t neglected. 

If you’re a neighbor?

Palm Springs follows the ‘Act of God’ rule of thumb, meaning that if a neighboring tree falls due to natural causes such as a storm, then your neighbor is not responsible for having it removed. If a tree falls due to obvious negligence, then responsibility for the removal is up to your neighbor. In some situations, such as a tree falling due to natural causes, you may be able to file a claim with your homeowner’s insurance to reimburse you for the cost of removal. 

How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Palm Springs?

Known for being primarily desert land, Palm Springs soil is often very dry and nutrient deficient. There are some soil types in the area, known as imperial soils, that are well-drained and made up of silty clay. Carsita soils in the city are excessively drained and made of cobbly sand, making the soil type a prime option for palms but preventing other tree types from properly growing without extra care and assistance. 

You may find a combination of Niland-Imperial-Carsita soils which are extremely calcareous and home to high quantities of alkaline. This combination of soil is often very deep and can be well or moderately well-drained. Succulents and palms have the longest life span when planted in soil throughout Palm Springs. 

Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Palm Springs?

Being such a dry and sandy atmosphere, the city of Palm Springs experiences high temperatures year-round. It’s not uncommon for the weather to be a concern when it comes to plant growth, often causing dry spells that leave young saplings dehydrated. On some of the hottest days, temperatures can rise up to 120 degrees, taking the term scorching to an entirely new level. The city doesn’t experience winter quite like the rest of the country, leaving lower temperatures to average in the mid-40s and giving everyone a brief break from feeling as if it’s summer almost 365 days per year. 

It’s expected that inland deserts such as Palm Springs may experience warmer weather as years continue to pass, leaving little room for trees to have a natural life cycle without consistent maintenance and care keeping them growing. In Palm Springs specifically, this could mean seeing a reduction in the amount of palm trees over time. 

What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Palm Springs?

It’s general knowledge that power lines can be extremely dangerous and for the most part we all do pretty well with avoiding any kind of physical contact with them. However, having a dead or decaying tree that’s in close proximity to an active line can be just as dangerous. Not only is there a concern if the tree falls, but there’s also the chance that electricity may arc off of a line and make contact with a tree. This becomes a worrisome hazard when you’re trying to trim limbs and may possibly have any kind of interaction with the line. 

The best advice we can offer when it comes to dealing with dead trees near power lines is to report the issue to your electric company and let our professionals handle it. With proper training, communication with the local utility company, and special equipment, we can ensure no harm comes to you or your loved ones during the removal process.

How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Palm Springs?

The average tree removal service in Palm Springs, CA costs $660, with most jobs falling between $200 and $2,100. This cost covers the basic services, including labor, materials and equipment, and hauling the tree off. Services like stump grinding will create additional charges on your final bill, but the pricing shouldn’t go up drastically. When calculating the cost of having a tree removed from your property, these are a few of the main factors. 

Size and Diameter

It may seem like common knowledge that a larger tree will cost more to remove compared to a younger or smaller tree, but size doesn’t only cater to the height of a tree. Pricing tree removal is based on the type of tree, its diameter, and how tall it is. Although, after a tree reaches more than 30-feet, the height of it doesn’t matter as much as the diameter. 

Accessibility

Most tree removal projects are pretty simple to quote, but every now and again there’s a job that requires a little extra planning and concern. When quoting a removal service, our experts will review how accessible the tree is. This will be determined based on how close to structures the tree is, how far off the road it is, along with what it takes to get to the actual tree. If there are obstacles that need to be crossed or if the tree is near power lines, then we’ll be communicating with the local utility company to ensure everyone is safe throughout the removal process. Should our team need to carry heavy equipment a long distance off the road and be unable to drive directly to the tree, you may see a slight increase in your final bill. 

Emergency Job

Nobody expects to walk outside and find that a tree has fallen in their yard or onto their property, but some scenarios with fallen trees draw definitive concerns compared to others. If a tree falls in your backyard but doesn’t cause structural damage, then it’s likely you’re not going to have an emergency removal service on your hands. If that tree falls onto your fence or house, then there’s a more obvious concern to have it removed as soon as possible. The timeframe you need a tree removed can highly impact the cost of the project.