Tree Service in Bakersfield, CA

Tree Service in Bakersfield starts with the climate. The city averages about 6.36 inches of rain a year and around 36 days at or above 100 degrees, so almost every shade tree in town lives on sprinkler or drip water. When the watering changes, the tree changes too. A lot of our calls begin with a homeowner noticing a thinning crown, a limb that died over the summer, or a tree that suddenly looks a size too big for the lot.

Lessons from the last drought

During the 2012-2016 drought the city had to remove 1,666 dead trees in 2015 alone, the year water use was cut by 32 percent, and Recreation and Parks staff estimated another 2,500 to 3,000 were lost after that. Coast redwoods made up a large share of the dead. The city stopped planting new redwoods and shifted to deodar cedar, Canary Island pine, Chinese pistache and crape myrtle. Many private yards are now going through the same decision one tree at a time.

What Kern County's horticulture advisor sees

UC Cooperative Extension in Kern County has pointed out that local soils are alkaline, which is hard on acid-loving trees such as maples and many pines. The same advisor estimated that roughly 80 percent of local liquidambar (sweetgum) trees are in decline, likely from a bacterial infection, and noted that Southern magnolias often look fine for 10 to 15 years and then start dying back. Valley oak, Aleppo pine, Italian stone pine and Canary Island pine have held up better. When we look at a struggling tree, those patterns help us tell you whether pruning will buy it years or only months.

The strip by the curb is the city's call

Under Chapter 12.40 of the Bakersfield Municipal Code, trees in streets, parks and parkways (the strip between sidewalk and street) fall under the control of the Recreation and Parks director, who decides on planting, removal and replacement from an official planting list. Owners still have to care for parkway trees next to their property. And any contractor doing tree work in a street, park or other public place needs a city-issued permit first, separate from an encroachment permit. Before we cut anything near the curb, we sort out whether it is your tree or the city's.

Wind is the storm that matters here

Bakersfield does not get hurricanes or ice storms. It gets wind. On February 4, 2024, gusts above 55 mph hit parts of Kern County, palm trees fell across both lanes of South Union Avenue at Shafter Road, and PG&E reported about 10,500 customers out in metro Bakersfield alone, mostly in the northeast and in Rosedale. Heavy, end-weighted limbs and tall palms with dead fronds are the usual casualties, which is why thinning and frond removal before winter are worth doing.

What we do across the city

• Crown thinning and raising for mulberry, ash, pine and pistache over roofs, pools and driveways
• Removal of dead redwoods, declining sweetgums and storm-split trees
• Palm skinning and frond removal, including tall fan palms
• Stump grinding so the spot can be replanted or paved
• Clearance pruning away from roofs and service drops (lines on poles are PG&E's work)
• Written estimates that spell out cleanup and haul-away

Getting started

Call (661) 451-7519 or send the form with a photo or two. We come out, look at the tree with you and leave a written quote. Get a free estimate