Tree Removal in Dublin, CA

Tree removal in Dublin usually comes down to one of a few reasons: the tree is dead or dying, it leans toward the house, its roots are lifting a patio or foundation, or it simply outgrew the spot it was planted in twenty years ago. Whatever the reason, removal is the one service where the city's heritage tree rules are most likely to apply, so we sort that out before we talk schedule.

Signs a removal makes sense

• Large dead limbs throughout the canopy, or no leaves in spring when neighboring trees of the same kind have them.
• Mushrooms or conks at the base, soft or hollow wood, or deep cracks in the trunk.
• A new lean, especially with soil heaving or cracking on the opposite side.
• Roots damaging hardscape where cutting them would leave the tree unstable.
• A tree too close to the house to ever be pruned into a safe shape.

Not every tree with problems has to go. If pruning, cabling or reducing weight would make a tree reasonably safe, we tell you that too.

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The heritage tree question

Dublin's Heritage Tree Ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 5.60) requires a permit before anyone removes an oak, bay, cypress, maple, redwood, buckeye or sycamore whose trunk measures 24 inches or more in diameter at 4.5 feet above grade. It also protects trees that a development approval required to be preserved, which can include smaller trees in planned neighborhoods. The permit application asks for a drawing of the trees, the reason for removal, the owner's written consent and a fee, and when the request is based on the tree's condition, the city may require a certified arborist's assessment. The code gives the Director 10 working days to decide once the application is complete, and approval can come with a requirement to plant replacement trees.

There is an exception for trees that pose an immediate hazard to life or property, but it still requires approval from the Director, the City Engineer, the Police Chief, the Fire Chief or a designee. A tree that might fall someday does not qualify.

How we take a tree down in a backyard

Most Dublin lots do not have room to drop a tree in one piece. We remove the canopy limb by limb, lowering heavy pieces on ropes when they would otherwise land on a roof, fence or garden. The trunk comes down in sections. Where there is no safe drop zone and the tree is very large, a crane may be the safer choice, and that cost is quoted separately so you can see it. Brush is chipped on site, and logs are hauled or cut to firewood length and left, whichever you choose.

Oak wood and sudden oak death

Sudden oak death is present in natural settings in Alameda County. UC guidance says host material should not leave a quarantine area and that wood from infected trees is best chipped or kept on site. If a coast live oak or bay shows bleeding cankers, we raise it before deciding where the wood goes, and we clean saws and gear before the next job.