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Tree Trimming in Clarksville

Clarksville is covered. It's practically next door to El Dorado Hills. Give us a ring at (530) 255-2773, and we'll send word to a tree pro who works around the old town.

A town that mostly went away

The town was born in the gold rush. At the high point it held more than a thousand residents and a handful of shops, Wikipedia says. Twenty people were left by 1931.

Not much remains, though the Clarksville Region Historical Society keeps the story alive. The post office was open from 1855 to 1924, closed, then reopened for 1927 to 1934. The spot sits at about 676 feet, 14 miles west-southwest of Placerville.

The area has another name too. Wikipedia lists it as Tong Ranch.

Why old places have tricky trees

Old homesites often have older trees. They're big, they're settled, and over the years they've taken some knocks. A tree that's been through fence-building, trenching or a truck bumper is full of old wounds.

UC's wood decay guide blames wounds from snapped limbs and bad pruning for most of the decay that starts. It says wound dressings are no help. What helps is a clean cut at the outer edge of the collar, with no stubs left behind.

The Master Gardener oak talk adds another warning. String trimmers can nick the bark at the base, and germs enter through the wound. Keep the trimmer away from the trunk.

Reading old trees

Look for these before you call.

• Mushrooms or shelf-like growths on the trunk or roots.
• Dark, sunken spots where a limb broke years ago.
• A big limb with a crack along its top.
• Clumps of mistletoe high in the crown.

The oak talk says a visible mushroom can mean the wood inside is full of fungus. The fungus doesn't kill the tree. It weakens the wood, and the tree can fail.

UC IPM says mistletoe hits big, mature trees first, because birds like tall perches.

Wires and old poles

Old roads and old poles mean wires hang low in places. PG&E tells folks to keep a distance of at least 10 feet from power lines, and to call 911 for an emergency with a tree. For other tree hazards, call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.

What a pro looks for first

On an old lot, the pro starts at the ground. Is the soil packed from vehicles? Is there fill dirt against the trunk? Is a big root cut? The Master Gardener oak talk lists these as things to avoid. It says not to backfill soil up to the trunk, and not to pile rocks on roots.

Then the pro looks up. The arborist brochure's four cuts are cleaning, thinning, raising and reduction. On a tree with old wounds, cleaning usually comes first. Thinning waits, since cutting too much live wood stresses a tree already under stress.

A good plan for an old tree is slow. One careful cleaning this winter, a look at the roots in spring, and a follow-up next year. You'll spend less than one big rescue job, and the tree will thank you.

Before you call, grab a few photos

Step back until the whole tree fits in the frame. Then take a close look at the base, at any wound, and at the limb that worries you. Photos help the pro guess the job before the visit.

Write down the date you first noticed the problem. A crack that is new matters more than one that has been there for years.

What it costs

Large old trees sit at the high end. For the giants of 50 to 100 feet, Fixr's range is $300 to $1,800. A tree half that size costs less, per Fixr. Dead wood work runs $176 to $428 at HomeYou. Those are national numbers.