Tree Service in Dublin, CA

Our tree service in Dublin, CA covers the jobs homeowners call about most: taking down trees that are dead or in the way, pruning trees that have grown over roofs and fences, caring for native oaks, grinding stumps, and cleaning up after a winter storm. Dublin adds one more step that a lot of people do not expect. The city protects certain large trees on private land, so before we price a removal, we check whether your tree is one of them.

What counts as a heritage tree in Dublin

Dublin Municipal Code Chapter 5.60, the Heritage Tree Ordinance, applies to every property in the city, including ordinary residential lots. Under it, a heritage tree is:

• Any oak, bay, cypress, maple, redwood, buckeye or sycamore with a trunk at least 24 inches in diameter, measured 4 feet 6 inches above natural grade.
• Any tree that a development approval, such as a subdivision map or site development review, required to be preserved.
• Any tree planted to replace one that was removed without approval.

That second category matters in newer parts of town. A tree can be protected even if it is smaller than 24 inches, simply because the plans for your neighborhood said it had to stay.

Why it matters before the saw comes out

Removing a heritage tree takes a permit from the city's Community Development Director. The code counts more than cutting down as removal: killing a tree by girdling or spraying counts, and so does extreme pruning that permanently disfigures it. The penalty for unlawful removal or damage is a civil penalty of twice the tree's appraised value, plus a replacement tree. Pruning that follows the International Society of Arboriculture's pruning guidelines does not need a permit, which is why the way a tree is pruned matters as much as whether it is pruned.

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The trees we see most around Dublin

The hills around the Amador Valley are oak country. Valley oaks and coast live oaks show up in older yards, along creeks and at the edges of the newer eastern neighborhoods. Those two species need different thinking. Coast live oak is a host for sudden oak death, which UC researchers and the SOD program list as present in natural settings in Alameda County. Valley oak, a white oak, is not thought to be susceptible. Both suffer when someone runs summer sprinklers at the trunk, because UC guidance warns that summer water on mature oaks favors oak root fungus.

Beyond oaks, Dublin yards hold a lot of pines, redwoods, sycamores, ornamental pears and fast-growing trees planted when subdivisions were new. Many of those are now tall enough to reach roofs and solar panels, or close enough to a foundation or fence to cause trouble.

Dry summers and fire season

The hills turn brown early, and long dry stretches stress trees that were planted for a wetter landscape. Stressed trees drop limbs, attract borers and decline from the top down. Homes near open space on the western and eastern edges of town also need to think about defensible space. CAL FIRE's guidance includes removing branches within 10 feet of a chimney, limbing trees up at least 6 feet off the ground, and keeping enough gap between shrubs and the lowest branches that a ground fire cannot climb. We prune with those numbers in mind when you ask for it.

Power lines are a separate job

If a branch is touching or close to the lines on the street, PG&E handles it, and only line-clearance-qualified crews should work there. The wire from the pole to your house, called the service drop, is the owner's responsibility to keep clear. PG&E offers a free temporary disconnect so that work near a service drop can be done safely, and we schedule around it.

What you get from us

A visit, a straight answer about permits, and a written, itemized estimate. If the city requires a report from a certified arborist, we tell you up front, explain what the report covers, and build the schedule around the city's review. Call (925) 966-3413 to set up a time.

Dublin is home base, from the older streets west of Dougherty Road and the West Dublin Hills to the planned neighborhoods out toward Tassajara Road. We also work in Pleasanton, Livermore, San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Castro Valley and Sunol.

The work changes from town to town. Each city and the county have their own tree rules, so a tree that needs nothing in one place may need a permit a few miles away. San Ramon, Danville and Alamo sit in Contra Costa County, while Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore, Castro Valley and Sunol are in Alameda County, and the unincorporated communities answer to their county rather than a city hall. Hillside lots in Castro Valley, Alamo and Sunol tend to mean more native oaks, steeper access and closer attention to fire-season clearance. Livermore and Pleasanton have many large older shade trees in established neighborhoods. Before quoting, we confirm which office's rules apply to your address.