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Tree Trimming in El Dorado Hills

El Dorado Hills is right next door to Folsom, ZIP 95762. Call (279) 256-3385 and we'll set you up with a pro from your corner of El Dorado Hills.

You tell us about the tree. We handle the phone calls.

Town of villages

El Dorado Hills is an unincorporated town in El Dorado County. Head east out of Folsom and you reach El Dorado Hills first, with Cameron Park farther on. The elevation is about 768 feet, and the north end of town runs to Folsom Lake and the South Fork of the American River.

The town started in the early 1960s, when developer Allan Lindsey began a master-planned community. The early neighborhoods got names and were called villages. The original ones were Ridgeview, Park, Saint Andrews, Crown and Governors. Later came villages such as Woodridge, Laurel Oaks and Serrano.

The 2020 census counted 50,547 people here. Two old Pony Express routes from 1860 and 1861 survive as roads in town. Handy trivia while you wait for the pro.

Which rules apply?

This matters. Folsom's tree chapter covers trees inside the City of Folsom. El Dorado Hills is not in the city. It's an unincorporated town in El Dorado County, so the county sets the rules.

Before a big cut on an oak, call El Dorado County and ask. Your village may have its own landscape rules too. The pro can often tell you what to check.

The ideas are the same everywhere, though. A good limit from the ISA is a quarter of the crown per round, less for old trees. Topping is the most harmful pruning practice known, in the ISA's words. That cut may remove half to all of the leaves.

Thinning for light and views

Lots of people here call about a tree that blocks light, a view or the lake breeze. That's usually a thinning job. The city of Folsom's standards describe thinning as selective removal of live branches to let light or air through, or to lighten the weight of the branches that stay.

The ISA adds a caution. Thinning by itself doesn't promise a healthier tree. So thin to solve a problem, not for the sake of it. See our crown thinning page for the full list of limits.

What it costs in El Dorado Hills

Some pros bill by the hour. Homeyou lists rates of $86 to $148 an hour, depending on tree size, access and equipment. Hillside lots and tight gates can add time.

Others quote a flat price. Homeyou's Sacramento-area range for one medium tree is $437 to $649.

Sun after the cut

A heavy cut can open a shady tree to full sun. That's a problem in a hot area. UC says bark that was shaded can get sunburned when pruning suddenly exposes it. The damage shows most on the south and west sides, and on the top of horizontal branches.

Sunburned bark can crack and peel. UC adds that it invites wood-boring pests and can lead to decline.

Two easy habits help. Keep some low branches on young trees, since they shade the trunk. And take small bites, because UC says to stay under about 20% of the canopy in a year.

If a pro does expose bark, ask about whitewash. UC's recipe is white interior latex paint thinned with an equal amount of water.

Next door

Neighbors we cover: Cameron Park, Granite Bay and Shingle Springs. The Folsom home page has the big picture, and the towns list shows the rest.