Richard Torresan, owner of Elite Tree Service in San Anselmo, has experienced extreme weather in his more than 30 years in business. But this year has been one of the worst in recent memory for fallen trees.
Rain-soaked soil and strong, swirling winds have damaged more trees than ever in Marin this season, he said. Many of the fallen trees were vulnerable due to years of mismanagement, pest infestation, diseases or climate influences. Now gravity has torn them down forever.
“Trees, they’re a whole different planet unto themselves,” he said. “When those strong winds come through, it’s like pushing a 100-year-old human. It hurts them. They will fall.”
Torresan was chasing a large tree that fell between two houses on Jordan Avenue in San Anselmo about two weeks ago. A 300-ton crane was required to remove it, he said. He said his company has seen at least 20 tree failures since the beginning of the year.
Tree services undertake a range of tasks including tree felling, pruning, thinning and disposal of organic plant debris. The work may include clearing everything from a fallen tree that has fallen on a house or poisoning an oak tree along a road.
Marin County Fire Battalion chief Bret McTigue said much of the damage from repeated severe storms this year was concentrated in the Mill Valley, Lagunitas, Woodacre, Point Reyes and Olema areas. He could recall at least three buildings being damaged or destroyed.
After a dry period of about five years and prolonged drought, many trees fell badly, he said.
“It’s been a weather season and we’ve actually had a really nice delivery of much-needed rain,” he said. “But with that, the volume of calls for storm-related incidents has increased.”
Battalion Chief Douglas Paterson of the Southern Marin Fire Protection District estimated that 40 to 50 trees had fallen in southern Marin this season.
“Depending on whether the tree is on private property as opposed to city or county property, the homeowner would be responsible for tree removal,” he said, necessitating the need for a private tree service.
“The City of Sausalito Public Works, Mill Valley Public Works, or Marin County Department of Public Works would remove trees under their jurisdiction that are not on private property,” Patterson said. “The fire district does not remove or clear away tree debris. We only intervene to clear the lane.”
Bob Emrich, owner of Bob’s Firesafe Team in Mill Valley, said this season is usually slow because of the drought, which has limited storms.
“It’s extremely busy,” he said. “I’ve never been this busy.”
On February 21 alone, Emrich’s company received 30 calls. With the extra work, companies had to prioritize and expedite the emergencies. Instead of preventive maintenance, companies are doing reactive maintenance, he said.
“Service demand over the past three months is greater than ever,” he said.
Oaks, cypresses, pines and bays kept them busy the most, he said.
Natalie Carey, co-owner of Small World Tree Co. in San Rafael, said one of her bucket trucks was damaged by a 40-foot-tall, 20-inch-diameter Monterey cypress in Sausalito this year.
“The last time it was this busy was around when we started in 1997 or 1998,” Carey said. “But this is probably worse.”
Tad Jacobs, owner of Treemasters in San Rafael, blamed strong wind gusts for downed trees this season.
“I look at every storm, the trees are so drought stressed, the wood is brittle,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot more canopy load because there’s so much more water.”
Jason Pech, co-owner of Mayan Climber Tree Service Inc. in Novato, urged residents to have potential risks assessed by professionals. He received a call this season, confronting the roots of a 60-foot tree that was sticking out of the ground after a recent storm.
“It’s forcing our team to work a little harder than normal, but my team is well equipped for that,” he said. “We know how important it is to protect our neighbors.”
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https://www.marinij.com/2023/04/03/marin-tree-companies-busy-amid-historic-storm-season/
