Tree Removal in Ramona, CA

Tree Removal in Ramona tends to start with an oak. The town sits in the Santa Maria Valley in the foothills, around 1,391 feet at the airport, and oaks shade a lot of its ranch properties, driveways and older homes. When one of them thins out, drops a big limb or starts weeping dark sap, the owner wants to know two things: is it dangerous, and is it going to spread to the others?

Goldspotted oak borer is close

The goldspotted oak borer was first discovered in San Diego County in 2004. By 2012, East County Magazine reported, it had killed more than 21,500 trees in the county's inland areas, and Dos Picos County Park in Ramona was on the list of infested sites. It kills coast live oak, California black oak and canyon live oak; Engelmann oaks were believed to be safe. The signs are D-shaped exit holes on the trunk and big limbs, dark black or red staining on the bark, and a crown that thins from the top down.

What to do with a dead oak

• Have it checked first. Not every thin oak has borers; drought and root damage cause similar symptoms.
• If it is infested and near the house or a driveway, removal is usually the safe call, because dead oak wood gets brittle fast.
• Keep the wood on your property. Officials urge people not to move firewood, since the beetle can survive for years in cut wood and is spread that way.
• Leave the rest of the oaks alone unless they show symptoms; healthy oaks are worth keeping.

Fire changed the landscape

The Cedar Fire started on October 25, 2003, about 3 miles east of the San Diego Country Estates area, burned about 280,000 acres and destroyed 2,820 buildings, including 2,232 homes. Four years later the Witch Fire, which began near Witch Creek on October 21, 2007, burned through the area as well; investigators later tied its start to power lines, and the state utilities commission found SDG&E had not trimmed trees as required. Ramona homeowners took those lessons seriously. Tree work here is often about keeping a defensible space, not just tidying a yard.

Defensible space in practice

Ramona is unincorporated, and its fire department is run by CAL FIRE under contract with the Ramona Municipal Water District. The county's defensible space guidance describes three zones out to 100 feet, no dead or dying plants in the outer two, and firewood stored at least 30 feet from buildings. On a ranch lot that usually means removing dead trees, lifting oak canopies, thinning dense pines or eucalyptus, and making sure nothing hangs over the roof or chimney.

Big daily temperature swings

Ramona's daily highs and lows differ by about 30 degrees on average, it has hit 117 degrees (July 6, 2018) and 16 degrees (January 17, 2007), and it sits in USDA zones 9b and 10a. Trees here deal with heat stress in summer and the occasional hard frost in winter. Frost-damaged citrus and avocado, plus sunscald on trees that were limbed too hard, are common reasons for calls.

Vineyards and ranch parcels

The Ramona Valley wine region covers about 89,000 acres around the town, and many properties mix vines, pasture, orchards and big shade trees. Access is the deciding factor on these jobs: gates, soft pasture, fences and livestock all affect how we bring equipment in. Tell us about them when you call.

Getting started

Call (760) 546-9994 or send photos of the tree, trunk and any holes or staining. We will look at the tree in person and give you a written estimate. Get a free estimate