Tree Service in El Monte, CA

El Monte adopted Chapter 14.03, Tree Protection and Preservation, in 2012, and it affects tree service on private lots as well as city property. The chapter protects three groups of trees: public trees, heritage trees and native trees. If you have a large tree in El Monte, it is worth knowing which group it falls into before anyone starts cutting.

What counts as protected

• Heritage trees: a single trunk with a circumference of 36 inches or more at breast height
• Native trees: trunks over 8 inches in diameter at 4.5 feet, from a list of 14 species that includes coast live oak and California sycamore
• Public trees: any tree in the right-of-way, parkway, median, park or other city property

Fruit and nut trees and palms are exempt, along with trees a certified arborist finds hazardous.

No topping, no lion-tailing

Section 14.03.030 makes it unlawful to top or lion-tail a protected tree, or to remove more than 25% of its foliage, without a removal permit. Lion-tailing strips the inner branches and leaves foliage only at the tips, which pushes weight to the ends of limbs. Both practices weaken trees, so the rule lines up with good pruning anyway. We thin evenly through the crown and stay well under that limit.

Removal permits

Permits are issued through the Economic Development Department. The application asks for the reason, species, size, location, photos and a replacement plan. The City Arborist inspects the tree, permits are valid for 90 days, and replacement is 2:1 with 36-inch box trees. Starting work before the permit is issued doubles the fee. In an emergency such as a windstorm, the chapter waives the permit when a protected tree must come out to abate an immediate hazard, with the work done by city crews or emergency responders.

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Rivers, willows and older homes

El Monte sits between the San Gabriel River and the Rio Hondo, on ground that was once marshy and thick with willows and alders. The median home was built in 1965, and the 1950s were the busiest decade, with more than 6,000 of the city's roughly 30,000 units. In the 1930s, El Monte was part of the federal Subsistence Homestead project, which helped qualifying families into single-family ranch houses. Trees planted around those homes and the postwar tracts that followed are now large, and some are ready for structural pruning or replacement.

Palms and stumps

Palms are exempt from the protection chapter, so routine frond cleanup and palm removal can usually move faster. Stump grinding after any removal makes room for the replacement trees the city may require.

Arborist input before you apply

Because El Monte's City Arborist inspects protected trees before deciding on a removal, it helps to know what the tree's condition really is before you file. An arborist consultation from us describes decay, cracks, lean and root problems in plain language. It will not replace the city's inspection, but it tells you whether a removal request is likely to be supported or whether pruning would solve the problem.

Call (626) 594-4788 for a written estimate that notes whether a tree is likely protected.