Sierra Tree and Fungi is the independent consulting arborist practice of Christopher Hodge, an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist working in field and laboratory mycology, serving El Dorado County, Sacramento County, Placer County, and Amador County. Every service below is built on the same principle: I assess, diagnose, and document, but I run no removal crews, so the recommendation you get is based on your trees and not on selling you the work. A site assessment with a written report you can act on starts at $500. The site visit on its own is $250 and covers up to one hour on site. Use the groups below to find the service you need, or call or text (530) 391-6100.
Not sure which service you need?
Start from what you are seeing, and the entry point follows:
- The tree looks sick, thinning, or off color: a tree health assessment
- You are worried it will fail and hit something: a tree risk assessment
- A county, city, or HOA asked for a report: arborist reports and permitting
- You are buying a property with mature trees: the new homeowner assessment
- Mushrooms or conks on the trunk or roots: fungal identification and pathology
- Building or landscaping near protected oaks: development reports and the Oak Technical Report
The lines between these blur in practice, and that is fine: many visits combine a health and risk assessment in one, and most permit work begins with the same inspection. A site assessment with a written report starts at $500 whichever door you come in through, and if you are still unsure, call or text (530) 391-6100 and describe the tree; pointing you at the right service, including no service at all, costs nothing.
Consulting and assessments
If you are not sure where to start, start here. An independent consulting arborist gives you a documented, conflict free opinion before you commit to expensive tree work, whether you are buying a property, worried about a tree, or planning a project near protected oaks.
Reports and permitting
Most consulting work ends in a written document a county reviewer, an insurer, an attorney, or a contractor can rely on. These are the reports I prepare most often, all built on recognized professional standards so they hold up when someone pushes on them.
Diagnosis and tree health
This is where my fungal pathology work lives. When a tree is sick, declining, or failing and no one can say why, correct identification of the disease, pest, or decay fungus is the whole point, because it is the difference between effective care and wasted effort.
Property and wildfire
Trees interact with the things you care about most: your foundation, your hardscape, and your safety from wildfire. These services help you keep the trees you can and manage the risks you cannot ignore.