Contents (Click To Jump)
- 1 What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Reno?
- 2 Does the City of Reno Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
- 3 Who Is Responsible For Fallen Tree Removal in Reno?
- 4 How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Reno?
- 5 Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Reno?
- 6 What if Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Reno?
- 7 How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Reno?
What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Reno?
We don’t get a lot of water around here, so trees that grow really tall and need lots of water to do it are also scarce. Our climate is friendlier to shorter trees, but many can grow up to around 150 feet tall, such as the California red fir, near Lake Tahoe and Lake Spooner. Nevada has two designated state trees, while most states only have one, the bristle-cone pine and the single-leaf piñon. They are found all over the state in abundance.
Other common Reno trees include the Utah juniper, willow, narrow-leaf cottonwood, and the limber pine. Spend an afternoon at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park to see all these trees in a natural environment to really comprehend their beauty.
These trees are native to the area because they thrive in our environment, but that isn’t to say they don’t face any issues. Here are the most common tree issues in Reno.
Pine Needle Blight
Once infected, pine tree needles will turn brown and fall off. Several years of infection will kill the tree. The disease can be managed by mulching properly, maintaining good air circulation, and keeping sprinklers from spraying pine needles. Austrian pine and Ponderosa pine are most easily damaged by this disease. Red pine and Scots pine are the most resistant of the pine trees. Fungicides are used to protect trees from needle blight.
Anthracnose
An anthracnose is a group of tree fungi that cause problems for trees in Reno and across Nevada. It is found on deciduous trees like walnut, oak, dogwood, maple, sycamore, and ash. Signs of Anthracnose include brown areas along the leaf veins, dead margins and tips, twig death, and early defoliation.
Dutch Elm Tree Disease
This disease is caused by a member of the sac fungi (Ascomycota). It is spread by elm bark beetles. Some elm trees have a genetic resistance to these beetles, others secret a distasteful triterpene that beetles avoid. Nevertheless, this disease kills thousands of trees a year.
Root Rot
Even though Reno soil is quick draining, it still gets saturated and encourages root rot. Root rot is a fungus that spreads through the soil, attacking the roots and spreading through the rest of the tree. The tree will most likely die and need to be removed as soon as possible to prevent spreading to other trees.
Does the City of Reno Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
It depends, but probably no. The city does not provide any assistance to trees on private property. If your neighbor’s tree roots are bursting through your sidewalk, you’ll have to take it up privately. When your own trees fall on your property or someone else’s, you are responsible. The only two times the city of Reno will help with tree removal problems is if the trees are on public property and if there is a storm that has knocked trees into a private entryway.
By law, the city cannot help a resident of the city with tree removal problems because it is considered a gift of public funds.
Who Is Responsible For Fallen Tree Removal in Reno?
If You’re a Homeowner?
If you are the homeowner and a tree has fallen, it’s all on you. You are responsible for the removal of the tree as well as all the damage repair to anyone else’s property. Of course, you’re also responsible for your own cleanup. The good news is that homeowner’s insurance policies have a clause for felled tree damage. It covers all the damages to your property as well as any damages to surrounding properties.
If You’re a Renter?
If you are renting your home you won’t hold any responsibility for a felled tree. An exception would be if the rental agreement has a clause that the renter is responsible for any lawn maintenance like felled trees. In that case, the renter’s insurance may pay for the tree removal and cleanup as well as any damages if there is a clause in the policy.
If You’re a Landlord?
A landlord is always the property owner, so landlords are always responsible for tree removal. If you instead work as a property manager and only oversee the day-to-day activity of all the rental properties, you could only be responsible for the manual labor or the tree removal, but the costs would lay with the property owner.
If You’re a Neighbor?
Neighbors aren’t held responsible for any cost of tree removal unless it’s their tree.
How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Reno?
The Nevada state soil is Orovado. It is well-drained soil, formed in alluvium derived from mixed rock and volcanic ash. The average annual precipitation is approximately eight inches. The average annual temperature is approximately 47 degrees F. The loamy, nutrient-rich soil of Reno is fantastic for growing alfalfa and hay.
Trees grow well in the soil, especially when there is adequate rainfall in a year. Deep watering of trees in your yard in Reno is always encouraged by the horticulture society.
Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Reno?
Weather does affect the trees in Reno. It is the reason we don’t get the towering redwoods that California has or the giant oaks in so much of the west. Our short rainy season keeps our trees from reaching great heights. Floods, wildfires, and earthquakes are the biggest natural disasters we see in the Reno region. Floods are not common occurrences but do happen, and when they do, they can wash away smaller trees and landscaping. Wildfires can take out entire forests of trees, and earthquakes can topple trees into homes, yards, and streets in a moment.
We also get some pretty hot temperatures here in Reno. Scorching temps draw all the moisture from plants, effectively killing them after just a short time.
What if Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Reno?
A dead tree hanging from a power line is no joking matter. It’s a dangerous situation that can turn fatal at the drop of a dime. The only course of action when a dead tree is hanging in or near the power line is to call NV Electric. A certified professional is the only person able to safely extricate a dead tree from power lines.
How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Reno?
Many Reno residents believe that tree trimming and pruning aren’t a necessity in our hot climate, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Pruning and trimming ensure that the strongest and healthiest branches get nutrition and water. Tree removal from storm fallout isn’t quite as significant if you’ve kept your trees maintained. Hiring our professionals helps guarantee that trees remain in great condition year-round. In Reno, our tree trimming and pruning services generally cost between $394 and $562 for a single visit. For tree removal, most homeowners will pay anywhere from $200 to $2000, depending on a few cost factors.
Timing
If a storm rolls through Reno around midnight, by the time it clears, it’s 2 a.m. and you have a tree limb sticking through your bedroom window. Waiting a few hours until the business opens will cost you less to have it cleaned up and removed. Why? Because when you call us after regular business hours there is a fee to cover the extra cost. This goes for any household service such as plumbers or electricians, as well.
Species of the Tree
The species of the tree affects the price of clean-up and removal. Hickory and oak trees are some of the hardest wood in existence, it can cost upwards of $1,500 to remove one of these trees, depending on the location and size. Sugar maple trees are also a very hard wood. They can cost $300 or more for small trees and even more for larger ones.
Accessibility
Do you have a felled tree in your yard all by itself? Or is it laying on a fence surrounded by weeds, or even worse, hanging in the air from a power line among other tree branches? The location of a felled tree and the ease of accessibility is another cost factor that determines the price of tree removal in Reno.
Limb Chipping
Limb chipping is taking limbs, twigs, leaves, and other tree parts and putting them through a wood chipper instead of cutting them up and hauling them away. Including this service in your removal project typically adds $75 to $100 to your total cost.
Log Splitting
For people with fireplaces, a felled tree is a blessing any way you look at it. We can use log splitters to split trees into pieces of wood perfect for bonfires and fireplaces. There isn’t a fixed price for this service in most areas of Reno, but it can add between $100 and $500 to your total, depending on the size of the tree.
