Questions & steps
Answers, in the order people ask
The screens, one by one
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The foliage
2 answers
Look at one twig rather than at the whole tree. Whether the foliage is a needle, a scale or a broad leaf — and how it joins the twig — removes most of the possibilities at once.
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Cones and fruit
One answer
Cones and fruit stay on the tree all year, which makes them more reliable than foliage. Look on the branch first and on the ground second.
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Bark
One answer
Read the bark at chest height on the trunk, not on a branch, where young wood looks like something else entirely. Touch it if it is safe to.
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The shape
One answer
Stand back far enough to see the whole crown. Shape is a weaker clue than the foliage, so read it as confirmation rather than as the thing that makes the match.
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Size, condition, position
3 answers
These three answers do not change what the tree is; they decide what it is worth. The valuation uses the trunk cross-section, the condition of the crown and how prominent the position is.
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What it is worth
3 answers
These three answers do not change what the tree is; they decide what it is worth. Two of them are about the property and one is about the tree — and the tool will show its working on each.
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What this tree is
The answer
The closest match in the key, everything the key still cannot separate, and an indicative replacement value with the arithmetic shown line by line.
Questions
How can I tell a Monterey pine from a Bishop pine?
Both have needles in bundles of two or three, but Bishop pine holds its cones closed on the branch for years while Monterey pine opens and drops them. Bishop pine is also the smaller, more coastal tree.
Are oak trees protected in San Luis Obispo County?
Coast live oak and other native oaks carry protections in many California counties, including limits on when they may be pruned or removed. We check the species, the parcel and the season before any work starts.
What is a tree worth if it is damaged?
The usual measure is replacement cost by the ISA trunk formula, which multiplies the trunk's cross-sectional area by a regional base rate and species, condition and location factors. The wizard shows each factor so you can see how a value was reached.
Does the value estimate include the timber value?
No. Landscape appraisal measures the cost to replace the tree at that size and quality, not the sale price of the wood, which for urban trees is almost always far lower.
Can the key tell a cypress from a cedar?
Only sometimes, and it says so rather than guessing. Both carry scale-like foliage in flattened sprays, so the key leans on the cone and the habit: Monterey cypress has a large rounded cone and a broad spreading crown, incense cedar a small one and a narrow spire. Bring a cone to the walk-through and it is certain.
Is the coast live oak in my garden protected?
In many California counties it is, including limits on when it may be pruned or removed, and San Luis Obispo County is one of them for trees above a certain size. The rules differ by parcel and by trunk size, so we check the species, the parcel and the season before any work is booked.
Terms, and what these figures are not
Every figure this tool returns is an estimate or general information — not a quote, a bid, an offer, an appraisal, an inspection or legal advice.
Talk to our team
A tool can only take you so far. A free walk-through gives you a written price from the same crew who would do the work — no obligation, and no form to fill in.