The method
How this tool reaches its answer
Most tree problems are planting problems. A redwood 12 ft from a septic field, a blue gum over a car, a pepper tree beside a drain — every one of those was the wrong tree in the wrong place, and none of them is the tree's fault. Getting it right starts with the space you actually have, not the tree you like.
This advisor takes your goal, the width you can give it, the wind and sun the site offers and how the ground drains, then suggests species that suit those conditions on the Cambria coast. The distances it quotes are the conservative ones: 10 ft minimum from a structure for a small tree, 20 ft or more for a large one, 15 ft from a power line and 20 ft from a septic field.
Two local notes. Coastal wind and salt will choose your species for you if you do not — Monterey cypress and olive take both, redwood takes neither well. And on a fire-conscious parcel, a hardwood like a coast live oak earns its place over a resinous pine.
Minimum planting distances we work to
Rates and bands last reviewed October 2026 · coastal San Luis Obispo County market rates
| From | Minimum |
|---|---|
| A house or structure | 10 ft for a small tree, 20 ft+ for a large one |
| A power line | 15 ft, and nothing tall directly beneath |
| A septic field or leach line | 20 ft, and no thirsty species |
| A driveway, patio or drain | 8 ft, more for surface-rooted species |
| A neighbouring boundary | Half the mature canopy width |
Before you answer each screen
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Why you are planting it
- A screen wants width, a windbreak wants width and toughness, shade wants height and spread, and habitat wants a native.
- Measure to the nearest structure, boundary or driveway rather than to the edge of the lawn you had in mind.
- The mature canopy is usually wider than the tree you buy, and that is the number that matters at planting time.
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Sun, ground and wind
- Water that stands after rain means a species that tolerates wet feet, and that is a short list on this coast.
- Very dry sandy ground suits the drought-adapted natives and will kill a redwood with no summer water.
- Salt and onshore wind pick you Monterey cypress or olive; coast redwood takes neither of them well.
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What is in the way
- Nothing tall goes directly under a power line, and the pruning that keeps it clear is the sort that ruins the shape.
- Roots follow water, which makes a leach field the most reliable water source on the property — 20 ft is the working minimum.
- A native tree earns its place on habitat and drought, and on a fire-conscious parcel a hardwood beats a resinous pine.
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What to plant
- The first name is the best match and not the only good one; the second and third often suit a slightly different spot on the same lot.
- Plant from late autumn to early spring, while the ground is cool and the rain does the watering.
- Keep a small tree 10 ft from a structure, a large one 20 ft or more, 15 ft from a power line and 20 ft from a septic field.
What the tool cannot know
A browser cannot see a tree. Decay inside a trunk or a root plate, soil and drainage, hidden utilities, access and crane reach, permits, protected species and boundaries are confirmed on site or not at all — which is why every figure here is a range with its method beside it, and why the only price that binds anybody is a written one after a walk-through.