Calaveras County, CA…For the past four years Calaveras County has been removing dead and dying trees that constitute a threat to County roads and infrastructure and the traveling public. In many instances the removal of these trees on private property also eliminates hazards to landowner assets. This service has been offered free to property owners if they grant permission to the County to do the work. The program is funded through the California Disaster Assistance Act, and results in relatively limited cost to the County. To date, the County has completed 37 projects removing over 10,000 trees.

The County currently has six projects either underway or starting soon. These projects are in Big Trees Village, the Arnold area, the Highway 4 corridor between Avery and Angels Camp, County roads west of Highway 49, West Point to Mokelumne Hill and the central County outside the perimeter of the Butte Fire. There are over 1100 hazard trees in these projects. It is anticipated that all ofthem will be underway within the next month. The County program depends on private landowners to grant permission to enter their property, identify and mark trees for removal and ultimately remove the trees. Landowners should be aware that the County’s contractors are responsible for removing trees and debris caused by operations and repairing any damage caused by the operation. To date, there have been very few instances of minor
damage and no instances of injury to workers. You may have received a right of entry form from the County in the past few months for one of the six projects. If you did not return it, you will not be included in the project. If you return the form while the projects are underway, your property can be included. The contract between the County and the tree service company allow additional trees to be included over the course of a project. If you no longer have the form and want to participate, contact the County Tree Mortality Program Manager, Dr. Richard Harris, at (707) 685-5508 or rrharrisconsulting@gmail.com and he will send you one. It is entirely possiblethat this will be the last round of tree mortality projects in the County. Be aware that the County program only covers the removal of dead or clearly dying trees that could hit a County road if they fall. It does not cover removal of trees that are hazardous to PG&E power lines or trees that are in the interior of parcels and cannot reach a road.

If you have questions about the Tree Mortality Program, or the right of entry form
contact Dr. Harris. Landowners can also visit the Tree Mortality Website:
https://treemortality.calaverasgov.us/