Home › Tree jobs › Roofs and chimneys

Clearing Limbs off Roofs and Chimneys in Pollock Pines

Do branches scrape your roof or hang over the stovepipe? Call us. A tree company from nearby can come size up the cuts and book a day that works.

Call (530) 248-6524

This is the page for clearing limbs off roofs and chimneys in Pollock Pines. For clearing limbs off roofs and chimneys, a tree trimming company in Pollock Pines can come look, and we set it up.

Plan clearing limbs off roofs and chimneys in Pollock Pines with one call. We take the call, find a tree trimming company for clearing limbs off roofs and chimneys, and book it. You decide on the price.

Clearing limbs off roofs and chimneys in Pollock Pines: how we help

Give us your Pollock Pines street and what clearing limbs off roofs and chimneys you need. Then a tree trimming company in Pollock Pines looks at clearing limbs off roofs and chimneys. The visit goes faster that way.

The ten-foot rule in Pollock Pines

Most folks in Pollock Pines heat with wood, or at least have a stovepipe poking through the roof. That's the reason the state wrote this rule down. Cal OES tells homeowners to keep all branches at least 10 feet from chimney or stovepipe outlets. It also says to remove live and dead tree branches 10 feet above the roof.

The UC fire network checklist says the same: remove branches of trees that are within 10 feet of your roof, chimney or stovepipe. Its footnote says that line comes from California Public Resources Code 4291, so it isn't just a tip. It's the law for homes in the state's fire areas.

Closer in, the zones get tighter. In the first five feet, Cal OES says to remove live or dead branches and ladder fuels. UC adds that in the 0 to 5 foot zone you should remove tree limbs that overhang structures.

So a limb that hangs right over the shingles has two strikes against it before you even get to the snow.

Why a limb on the roof is a problem in Pollock Pines

• Embers land in needles. Needles in gutters and valleys hold them.
• A branch that scrapes in the wind wears off the roof surface, bit by bit.
• Squirrels and woodrats use a limb like a bridge, and then they're in the attic.
• Wet snow bends a limb down. It lands on the roof, and then on whoever is under it.
• Shade and damp from over the roof can keep moss growing.

The first one is the biggest worry. Fire danger here is rated very high, and the 2014 King Fire destroyed 80 structures near town.

A special note about oaks in Pollock Pines

Many yards have black oaks. They drop their leaves in winter, and UC's oak guide for El Dorado County says to prune deciduous oaks in winter. For evergreen oaks, summer is the time.

The same guide has a warning for big oaks. In summer, on hot, calm days, healthy limbs can fall without any sign. They tend to run level and tend to sit between 3 and 12 feet out from the trunk. UC says big level limbs hanging above a house, path or drive should be taken off.

It's a funny thing to see: a limb that looks fine, and then it's on the ground. That's why a tree trimming company looks at the length of the limb as well as how green it is.

How a good cut is made

A limb thicker than your wrist is not a one-cut job. UC's wood decay note describes the three-cut method for limbs over about 2 inches thick. First, an undercut on the underside, one to two feet out. Next, a top cut a bit farther along, so the limb falls and the bark doesn't rip. Then the last cut, close to the trunk, just outside the branch collar.

The ISA gives about the same measure: an undercut 12 to 18 inches from where the limb attaches. Over a roof, the tree company may lower the limb by rope in pieces, so it doesn't land on the shingles.

Two more points. Don't leave stubs. UC says stubs die and give decay a way in. And skip the paint on the wound. Both UC and the ISA say wound dressings do not help the tree heal.

Also, no topping. The ISA ranks topping among the worst cuts there are, since it can take half the leaves or all of them. The shoots that grow back are weak. Over a roof, weak shoots are the last thing you want.

When to do it

For pines, mid-October through January, because of the beetle rule on the bark beetle page. For deciduous oaks, winter. The ISA says weak, diseased or dead limbs can come off in any month.

A limb that is actively rubbing the roof or hanging from a split can't wait for the calendar. Have it looked at soon.

What it costs

Limbs over roofs and wires are the jobs that push Homeyou's quotes toward $688. That fits what you'd guess: roof work is slow and careful.

Ask the tree trimming company whether the price includes hauling the cut limbs. Bigger wood is yours to keep as firewood if you want it, but stack it well away from the house.

Gutters, needles and the roof edge

Limbs aren't the only thing falling from trees. Needles and cones pile up in gutters and in the valleys where two roof slopes meet. That's the first place a spark or ember would find fuel.

A few easy habits help. Rake or blow the roof clean a couple of times a year, and before fire season starts. Clear the gutters at the same time. Wear flat shoes with good grip, and skip the job if the roof is wet, icy, or steep. Falls off roofs hurt a lot of people each year.

If the pile comes back fast, that's a hint that a limb is hanging right over the spot. Ask the crew you hire whether that one is worth taking off.

Looking for clearing limbs off roofs and chimneys in Pollock Pines? Ring (530) 248-6524. We arrange a tree trimming company for clearing limbs off roofs and chimneys and the day.

More to read

Check limbing up pines for the rest of the fire-safety picture, trimming near lines if the service wire is involved, or go to all tree jobs and the home page.