Tree Service in Union City, CA

Most of the tree service calls in Union City come from tract neighborhoods built in the 1970s and 1980s. The city formed in 1959 when Alvarado and Decoto incorporated together, and census estimates show about 30 percent of homes were built in the 1970s and another 18 percent in the 1980s, with a median year built of 1980. Yards are compact, and the trees planted then are now crowding them.

Common problems in compact yards

• Trees planted too close to the house, now rubbing the roof or gutters
• Roots lifting driveways and patios
• Tall pines and liquidambars shading the whole lot
• Fruit trees that have been topped and regrown into a thicket
• Hedges and screening trees grown into a neighbor's yard

Trimming can fix some of this: crown reduction to pull limbs off the roof, thinning to let light through, clearance over the driveway. When a tree is simply in the wrong place for its size, removal and a better-sized replacement is the long-term answer.

Stump removal for small yards

In a small yard, the stump is often in the way of the next project: a patio, a raised bed or new turf. We grind stumps below grade and can follow the larger surface roots, then rake the chips out or leave them for mulch. Before grinding near a house, we look for sprinkler lines and any marked utilities, and we keep the grinder well back from foundations.

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Fruit trees

Many Union City yards have old plum, apricot, citrus or fig trees. Fruit trees are pruned differently from shade trees: the goal is an open center, limbs low enough to reach, and wood renewed every few years so it keeps fruiting. We prune them in the dormant season, except citrus, which is lighter work after the risk of frost has passed.

Creeks, not shoreline

Union City has no bay frontage, but it does have Alameda Creek and Dry Creek running through it, and the Ohlone lived along both. Neighborhoods close to the creek corridors and the hills on the east side have more native trees and more slope than the flat central tracts. The climate is mild: average highs run from the upper 50s in January to the upper 70s in summer, with about 15 inches of rain a year. Mild weather means many trees grow fast, and pruning cycles of a few years keep them in check.

Before a big removal

We could not confirm Union City's tree ordinance online for this page, so check with the city's planning staff before removing a large tree, especially a street tree or one that was planted as part of a development approval. We will provide species and trunk size for the request.

Getting started

Send a few photos showing the whole tree and what is around it, or call (925) 966-3413 to set up a visit.