Home > Services > Defensible space
Defensible Space Tree Removal in Camino
Trees crowding your house, shop or barn in Camino? Call us now at (530) 441-2256. A tree company who knows fire clearing can walk the place with you, and we set it up. The call is free.
Call (530) 441-2256or use the online request form
Here we cover defensible space clearing in Camino. A tree removal company that serves Camino handles defensible space clearing, and we book it.
What defensible space means around Camino
It's a ring of cleared and thinned ground around your buildings. The idea is simple. When a fire reaches the ring, it has less to burn. It drops low and slows down, and firefighters get a place to stand.
It isn't a bare lot. It's less fuel, more gaps, and no ladders for the flames to climb. In a pine yard, that mostly means dead stuff, brush, low limbs and crowded little trees.
The rule you're up against around Camino
California's PRC 4291 asks for 100 feet of defensible space, or to the property line if that's closer. It counts from every building or structure used for shelter or support. That's not just the house. Think shop, barn, guest cabin, pump house.
El Dorado County has its own rule too, Chapter 8.09. The Fire Safe Council's program is built around the same first 100 feet around your home.
Fire service in Camino comes from the El Dorado County Fire Protection District. Ask the district what your lot needs today. Dates and rules shift, and we don't write them.
What the tree company actually does in the zone
The fire district's guidance for the 30 to 100 foot zone is short and plain:
- Cut out dead plants and dead trees.
- Pull out small conifers that grew up between the big trees.
- Clear the vegetation next to sheds and other outbuildings.
- Space the trees. Between 60 and 100 feet from the house, leave at least 6 feet between treetops.
Crown spacing is a rough guide, and the district says slope and tree type can call for more. A hillside pine yard may need wider gaps than a flat lot.
Big trees don't have to go. Rescue Fire Department says they can stay if the plants under them are cleared. In practice, that means raising the low limbs and cutting the ladder fuels, not felling the tree.
Orchards, ranches and outbuildings around Camino
Camino is known for apple picking and for Christmas tree ranches. That means barns, packing sheds, parking areas and rows of trees, sometimes right beside pine woods.
Here's what to look at on a ranch:
- Dead or leaning pines at the edge of the rows, where the woods meet the trees you grow.
- Brush and dead wood stacked against sheds or the barn.
- Old stumps and slash piles near a building.
- The driveway and parking area. Flames and smoke can cut off your way out.
Do rows of orchard or Christmas trees count for the 100 feet? That's a question for the fire district. Ask before you cut anything you planted on purpose.
Free chipping can save you money
When it has grant money, the county Fire Safe Council offers free chipping across the Western Slope. The rules:
- Two free services a year, renewing each January 1.
- Each visit covers six hours of chipping at one address.
- Primary residences only.
- The chippers take limbs up to 7 inches across. Piles of pine needles or leaves are out.
- The chips stay on your lot. They don't haul them away.
- Keep rocks, dirt, wire, lumber, poison oak and blackberry out of the piles.
The council also runs a cost-share program for removing dead and dying trees. As of November 13, 2026, its page says the application portal is temporarily closed while it waits on grant money. It's not meant for clearing acreage or empty parcels, with an exception for its Good Neighbor Policy.
What it costs
Defensible space jobs mix tree removal, brush work and chipping. These ranges come from cost guides. Your tree removal company will price your lot.
| What you need | What the guides list |
|---|---|
| Tree up to 30 feet tall | $200 to $500 |
| Tree 30 to 60 feet tall | $500 to $1,500 |
| Tree 60 to 80 feet tall | $850 to $2,000 |
| Brush clearing, one acre | $800 to $3,000 |
| Light clearing, one acre | $1,200 to $2,500 |
| Heavy clearing, one acre | $4,500 to $8,000 |
| Forestry mulching, one acre | $500 to $1,000 and up |
| Chipping branches | $50 to $100 |
Numbers from HomeGuide's guides to tree removal, wood chipping and land clearing (Nov 2025 to Feb 2026) and Angi's tree removal page (updated Oct 2026).
Angi says a lightly wooded acre runs up to $2,500, and a very dense acre can top $6,000. HomeGuide says forestry mulching works well for fire prevention but isn't right for building sites.
The ring around a house is much smaller than an acre. Most yard jobs cost far less than an acre price. Ask the crew you hire to split the quote by zone, so you can do the part closest to the house first.
Selling the place? Read this
California law asks home sellers in high or very high fire severity zones to give buyers proof that the home meets PRC 4291. That's from the fire district's page. If you plan to list soon, start clearing early.
Step by step
- Dial (530) 441-2256, or send in the estimate form.
- Tell us where your buildings are, and how much brush and how many trees are near them.
- Tell us if you got a notice, or if you're selling.
- We find a tree company and set up a walk of the lot.
- The tree removal company writes up a price, broken out by zone if you ask.
- Pick the work, pick the day. Do the near zone first.
Questions about clearing
How far out do I have to clear?
State law says 100 feet from each building, or to the property line if that's closer. Check with the fire district for the details on your lot.
Do I have to cut my healthy pines?
Not just because they're healthy. The goal is dead wood, brush, ladder fuels and crowded growth. Spacing and limbing matter more than cutting every tree.
Can I burn the slash instead of chipping it?
Maybe. Burn only outside declared fire season. Piles stay at 4 feet by 4 feet, with a 10 foot ring scraped to bare dirt. Before lighting, phone (530) 621-5897.
Is a burn permit free?
Yes. The fire district says burn permits are now issued online and free of charge.
What if my neighbor won't clear?
You can only do your own land. If a neighbor's brush is a danger, tell the fire district. We can't enforce anything, but we can help you find a tree company for your side.
Want defensible space clearing in Camino handled? The line is (530) 441-2256. We set defensible space clearing up with a tree removal company.
Nearby
Failing pines? Start with dead pine tree removal. The leftover stumps are covered under stump grinding. Other pages to try: Pleasant Valley and Pollock Pines. The Camino home page ties it together.