Tree service in Blanco, Texas

What I see in Blanco yards

Some of the thinnest soil I work in. The big live oaks out here are genuinely old and genuinely tough, and they don't tolerate heavy pruning. Deadwood and clearance only, in most cases.

The trees I get called about in Blanco

Some of the thinnest soil I work in — hard limestone with live oak, ashe juniper and Texas red oak on it, plus cypress and pecan down along the Blanco River. The big upland live oaks are genuinely old and genuinely tough, and they do not tolerate heavy pruning. Deadwood and clearance only, in most cases. Some of the thinnest soil I work on anywhere. The upland live oaks here are genuinely old, genuinely tough, and completely intolerant of heavy pruning — they haven't got the reserves to rebuild a canopy you take a quarter off. Deadwood and clearance, and not much else, is the honest prescription on most Blanco oaks. There's Texas red oak in the draws where there's a bit more moisture, and those are the ones to watch for oak wilt, since red oaks are what build the fungal mats.

How to tell these species apart, and what goes wrong with each one.

The ground underneath: Edwards Plateau

Shallow, stony, alkaline clay over limestone. Live oak, ashe juniper and cedar brakes. Roots go wide instead of deep because there's nowhere deep to go, which is why wind-throw is the failure mode out here.

Permits in Blanco

I haven't read Blanco's ordinance closely enough to summarize it here, and I'm not going to guess at a rule that could cost you a mitigation bill. Call the city's planning or development services department and ask two questions: what trunk diameter triggers a permit, and is there a protected species list.

I have verified the rules for Austin, Kyle, Buda and Dripping Springs — those are written up here, along with how to measure your trunk properly, which every one of these ordinances depends on.

Working on a Blanco property

Ranch country and small-town lots, room to work but long carries. Forty minutes from Kyle. Ranch and acreage country either side of 281 along the Blanco River, forty minutes out. Good room to work once you're through the gate, but long driveways and cattle guards, so I'd rather batch it with other work out west.

Questions I get from Blanco

Getting me out to Blanco

Blanco is about a 40-minute run for me. At that distance it works best batched with other work out that way, so give me a little notice if it isn’t urgent. Call or text me a photo with something in frame for scale and I can usually give you a number without driving out. Estimates are free either way.

One rule that applies everywhere, including here: don't prune oaks between February 1 and June 30. Here's why.