Tree Service in San Gabriel, CA
San Gabriel grew up around a mission founded in 1771, and today it protects 28 kinds of trees past a set size. Before any big cut, we help you check those rules as part of how our San Gabriel tree service cares for trees.
Tree care in San Gabriel
The Mission city and its old trees
San Gabriel protects 28 kinds of trees, and a front-yard tree counts once its trunk is more than 19 inches around. In side and rear yards, the line is 30 inches, measured 4 feet up. Oaks, sycamores, magnolias, jacarandas, redwoods and pines are on the list. A permit is needed to remove one, to cut more than a third of its leaves, or to lower it by more than a quarter over two years. The city grew around Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, founded in 1771. Its Mother Vine, planted in the 1770s, still bears grapes.
In San Gabriel, you measure around the trunk, not across it.
Who governs tree work in San Gabriel
City of San Gabriel
Tree work in San Gabriel follows the city's own tree rules. This code identifies which trees are subject to the ordinance and when a permit for removal or trimming is required. A Tree Removal/Trimming Permit is needed when any of the mature trees (Class 1) in a single-family zone meet the above conditions are: To be completely removed by any means. Landmark or historically significant trees or stand of trees meet one of the following criteria: Have taken on an aura or historical value by virtue of age or location. Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before work begins — filing a permit is the property owner's responsibility, not ours.
Source: Tree Preservation | San Gabriel, CA - Official Website
The list
Light pruning and slow height cuts for San Gabriel's Class 1 trees
Supreme Tree Experts prunes and lowers big trees and trims palms in San Gabriel, which protects 28 kinds of trees. Front-yard trees reach protected size first, so San Gabriel owners plan those cuts with Supreme Tree Experts.
Tree Removal
Before any San Gabriel removal, we check whether the tree is Class 1. The city lists 28 protected species, and removing one past its size limit needs a permit. The request needs at least a Level 2 report by a certified arborist.
Tree Trimming & Pruning
Our crews prune protected trees with light cuts that stay well under the city's limit. Removing more than a third of a Class 1 tree's live leaves needs a permit here. Smaller cuts spread over time are better for the tree.
Stump Grinding & Stump Removal
Once a removal is approved, we grind the stump low so you can replant or pave. We grind out surface roots near the stump as well. The chips can stay as mulch or leave with our crew.
Palm Tree Trimming & Skinning
We take only dead fronds and old seed stalks off palms, leaving the green crown full. Skinning then cuts old frond bases from the trunk. Homes stand close together here, so our palm lift truck works tight spaces from the drive.
Emergency Tree Service
When a mature tree fails on a home or car, our crews come 24/7. Strong night winds in 2011 showed how fast older trees here can come down. We make the site safe first, then clear it.
Tree Maintenance
Each year our crew checks yard trees for weak limbs, decay and pests. Magnolias, jacarandas, redwoods and pines are all on the city's protected list. Steady care keeps these older trees sound and within the rules.
Tree Height Reduction
We lower crowns a little at a time, back to side limbs. Cutting a Class 1 tree's height by more than a quarter over two years needs a permit. We spread the work out so the tree adjusts.
Estate Tree Care
We care for old trees on bigger lots with a light hand. Some count as landmark trees for their age or place. A trunk 40 inches around in a front yard, or 60 in side and rear yards, also counts.
Tree Shaping & Shrub Shearing
On a steady yearly cycle, we shear hedges and shape shrubs around the house. A slightly wider base keeps light on the lower leaves, so the hedge stays full to the ground. Clippings are chipped and hauled away the same day.
Landscaping
We plan new planting for the space, the sun and your water use. Some trees planted today may reach protected size in time, so placement matters. We leave room for each tree to grow away from the house.
Hardscape
We plan front paths and walls with nearby roots in mind. A front-yard tree is protected once its trunk passes 19 inches around, and side and rear trees at 30. We keep new work clear of those roots.
How we work in San Gabriel, before anything is cut
- 01.
Tape around the trunk
An arborist wraps a tape 4 feet up. In a front yard, more than 19 inches around can be enough to protect the tree.
- Species on the list?
- Front, side or rear?
- 02.
City review
If Code 95.23 applies, the owner files with the city and pays its $275 fee. A removal also needs a Level 2 arborist report.
- Owner applies
- Arborist report for removals
- 03.
Careful cuts
Only permitted cuts are made, under the one-third line; brush is chipped and hauled.
- Under one-third per visit
- Brush hauled off
How we work inside San Gabriel's Class 1 tree rules
Tree work goes wrong when it is rushed or under-equipped. We run our own 75-foot boom trucks, lift trucks, chippers and stump grinders, and every crew works under an ISA Certified Arborist — so the job gets done right the first time.
We hold California license #1002853 for both landscaping and tree and palm work, we are bonded, we carry general liability and every employee is on workers’ compensation.
ISA Certified Arborist
An arborist visits free, measures around the trunk 4 feet up and notes if the tree is in the front, side or rear yard.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Once the city approves, a licensed crew does the cutting. Ours holds #1002853, covering C-27 landscaping and C-61/D-49 tree work, bonded, with each member insured.
Southern California Since 1985
Our family has worked with trees since 1985. By then, the Mission's Mother Vine had been growing for more than 200 years.
Our Own Equipment
The city protects pines and redwoods, which grow tall; the 75-foot boom trucks we own reach their upper limbs.
Reviews to read before you book in San Gabriel
Every word below was written by a customer on Google, not by us. Long reviews are shortened to fit the card — never reworded. None of them was left in San Gabriel: they come from customers across Southern California. Read them for how a crew behaves on a job, then decide whether that is who you want in San Gabriel.
“Great pricing & service. Highly competent with tricky jobs. We have used them for more than 10 years.”
Melanie Butler
Local Guide
“We got bids from five contractors. After I talked to them all and checked out their licenses and work, we decided to go with Supreme. … The job took a day and a half, and when they were done, they left the place immaculate.”
Hank Shaeffer
“Great tree trimmers! I’ve used Supreme Tree Experts twice to trim the palm trees in my yard. … The guys who come out are quick thorough, and clean. And very careful not to damage property.”
Emilie Pacheco
“These guys have worked on my property 3 times now. They are always on time and do a fantastic job. I highly recommend them!”
Ray Thompson
“After soliciting several quotes on some difficult yard work, we chose Supreme because of their licensed Arborist Temis … The crew was extremely hard working and we couldn’t believe their continuous work ethic on one of the hottest days of the year.”
Gary Brown
Local Guide
Before you book in San Gabriel
6 questions worth having answered before you book tree work in San Gabriel. If yours is not here, call 877-787-7363 and ask.
Class 1 mature trees and landmark trees. Class 1 covers 28 species, including oaks, sycamores, magnolias, jacarandas, redwoods and pines. In a front yard, a trunk over 19 inches around counts. In side and rear yards, it is over 30 inches, measured 4 feet above grade.
Up to a third of the live leaves. Removing more than one-third of a Class 1 tree's live foliage needs a permit. So does cutting its height by more than a quarter over two years. Smaller cuts spread over time are better for the tree.
An old or notable tree. The city counts trees with historic value because of their age or location. It also counts trees 40 inches around in a front yard, or 60 inches in side and rear yards. These are protected too.
A fee and an arborist's report. Removal requests need at least a Level 2 report by a certified arborist, and the city will not process the application until the fee is paid. Heavy trimming of a Class 1 tree goes through a permit as well. City Code section 95.23 lists the exemptions.
Yes — $600 for tree services, wherever the job is. Permits, tree size and how close homes stand to each other shape much of the cost here.
Yes, 24/7. Strong night winds in 2011 showed how fast mature trees here can fail. Call 877-787-7363.
San Gabriel and its surroundings
San Gabriel covers just over 4 square miles of the San Gabriel Valley, home to the old Mission and the Mission Playhouse.
- ZIP codes
- 9177591776