Tree Photos

Here is a fine example of our "Comprehensive Oak Job" applied to
a California black oak. This oak was a real mess, but is now a show
piece of the nieghborhood. Because so much material needed to be
removed (mostly storm related damage), the work was completed over
two growth seasons in order to reduce shock to the tree. When pruned
properly as this oak tree was, and if no storm damage occurs, no
further pruning should be needed for 10 to 15 years. The wounds will
heal in a few years, sealing themselves and protecting the tree from
decay.

The photos above and right show our
crew removing forty trees killed by the
western pine bark beetle along the side
of SR 173 next to Lake Arrowhead. This
project involved huge, mature trees
hemmed in between a lakefront
residential neighborhood and highway
around the lake. A crane was used to
ensure safety to the public and crew, to
facilitate dozens of hazardous removals,
all quickly and efficiently.

Here's our crew setting up sections of a mobile platform for use on docks. There were areas we could not access with our trucks during this 20 acre Forest Care project along the shore of Lake Arrowhead. The photos show how the platform was transported by barge to
appropriate docks and used to stage tree slash from the shore. The slash was then transferred to the barge and moved to a beach where we processed it with a wood chipper into our chip truck. This greatly helped in lowering the impact on the shoreline.

This eucalyptus was killed during the Old Fire and needed to be removed. A strong
steel 'chocker' cable is connected higher in the tree, and the climber is making his
cut. The ground crew is waiting in the landing zone to process the tree section.
Dismantling trees in this fashion is quick and safe, and depending on the site, can
actually save the client a lot of money compared to traditional rigging. It is also the
preferred method to minimize the impact to delicate landscaping. In this case,
fences and other 'targets' made crane removal the smart choice for our client.

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This 100 foot Ponderosa Pine fell into Lake
Arrowhead. The owner landscaped around it and
overwatered it for many years. The root system
decayed and simply could not support the tree
during high winds, and down it came.

Here you can see the stump torn from the soil.
This part of the yard was not accessible to a
stump grinder, necessitating hand removal. A
closer look revealed the decay fungi guilty of
bringing down this big, beautiful, full canopy tree

Ever hear of a SCUBA diver being employed to
facilitate tree removal? Nor had we, until confronted
with 42 degree water and a submerged tree!The diver
in this photo is attaching straps from the main trunk and
various sunken, detached branchs to a main winch line
which we used to pull out all submerged material.

This was a unique removal. Never had we been
called on to remove a partially sunken tree and
transport it across the lake... all during the
winter. However, we do enjoy challenges, and
this cetainly provided them!

Here's a shot of the submerged material being
winched out of the lake. With it came mud and
sand, a few small fish, and debris that had been
on the bottom for quite some time.