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Tree Trimming in Sly Park

Homes around Jenkinson Lake are on our list. Call (530) 248-6524 and a tree pro from nearby can come see your trees. We book the visit.

The lake

The reservoir at Sly Park is Jenkinson Lake, named for Walter E. Jenkinson, who ran the El Dorado Irrigation District, Wikipedia says. Visitors boat, camp, fish, ride horses, hike and bike there. Camping means campfires, and campfires mean firewood.

All that camping means campfire wood. UC's bark beetle note says: don't move firewood from place to place. Beetles can ride in a log from one forest to another. If you rent your place out, a sign near the woodpile that says "buy it local" is a smart idea.

What the Caldor Fire did

In August 2021, the Caldor Fire crossed the North Fork of the Cosumnes and approached the Sly Park Reservoir. Wikipedia adds that the fire wiped out pines and brush that used to ring parts of the shoreline.

That is a hard picture, and it tells you why spacing matters here. The fire burned 221,835 acres in the end, according to Wikipedia's article on it. We didn't write this page to scare anyone. We wrote it because trees that were limbed up and thinned give fire less to climb.

The state numbers are in limbing up pines. In short: crowns 10 feet apart in the outer zone, lower limbs off to at least 10 feet, and no branches over the roof.

Lakeside trees have a thirst

A lake nearby doesn't mean your pine has water. Roots sit in dry hillside soil. Dry years stress a pine, and UC says beetles go for stressed trees. The note's advice in a drought is to water deeply but only about twice a month.

Water at the drip line, where the branches end, and not at the trunk. Our bark beetle page has the full list of signs.

Cabins and part-time homes

Many places around the lake are second homes. Trees at a house nobody visits in winter go unwatched. A heavy snow can drop a limb on the roof, and nobody knows until spring.

If you are away a lot, ask a pro for a fall visit. Dead limbs over the roof and the deck come off before the snow. A neighbor or caretaker can check after storms, and send you a photo if a limb is down. That one habit catches problems early. And a pro can tell you if anything will need a second look next year.

Prices

Cost guides give a ballpark. On Fixr, pines run $200 to $1,800 and the tallest trees (50 to 100 ft) run $300 to $1,800. LawnStarter's pine range is $210 to $1,630.

Lots with long, steep gravel drives usually quote at the high end. The pro decides that after seeing it.

Fire danger and visitors

With campers in the area, a stray spark is always a worry. Tree work helps. A clear space under the trees, with low limbs gone, means a small ground fire is less likely to climb into a crown. It's not a guarantee, but it's a real help.

Nearby

Close by: Pollock Pines, Fresh Pond, Sierra Springs. For a yearly plan in Sly Park, open the care-by-season table. Back to the Pollock Pines home page, or see the other towns near Sly Park.