Sonoma-Marin Tree Service connects Glen Ellen property owners with local tree service contractors for hazard tree removal, fire clearance, pruning, and arborist reports. Glen Ellen is unincorporated, so tree permits and vegetation inspections come from Sonoma County, and fire service comes from the Sonoma Valley Fire District, which absorbed the former Glen Ellen fire district in 2020.
After the Nuns fire
The 2017 Nuns fire swept into Glen Ellen in October of that year. Sonoma Index-Tribune reporting described whole neighborhoods along Warm Springs Road destroyed, along with homes to the south off Arnold Drive and along O'Donnell Lane. Across the valley the fire burned more than 56,000 acres and destroyed more than 400 Sonoma Valley homes, according to the City of Sonoma.
Years later, burned trees are still a working problem. Oaks and bays that leafed out after the fire can carry hidden damage at the base, where heat killed the living tissue under the bark or opened the trunk to decay, and some fail long after the fire. Fire-killed pines and dead branches in oak canopies add fuel near rebuilt homes. A tree risk assessment sorts the trees that recovered from the ones that need to come down, and dead tree removal covers the documentation hazard removals often need.
County tree rules in Glen Ellen
Sonoma County's tree protection ordinance, updated in 2024 as Ordinance 6478, requires a zoning permit to remove protected native trees 6 inches or more in diameter at 4.5 feet, measured from the uphill side. Oaks, madrone, big leaf maple, buckeye, and redwood are on the list. Removal usually carries mitigation, such as replanting or an in-lieu fee of $510 per arboreal value point. Three exemptions do a lot of work in Glen Ellen:
- Defensible space work under PRC 4291 or County Code Chapter 13A is not subject to the ordinance
- Dead, dying, diseased, or hazardous trees inside a structure's defensible space zone are exempt
- Removal an insurer requires within 100 feet of an occupied home is exempt, with the insurer's documentation kept on file
Trees outside those situations, such as a healthy oak far from the house that you simply want gone, may need a permit. Parcels with mapped oak woodland can also fall under the county's separate oak woodland rules. Check with Permit Sonoma first.
Oak and bay woodland, slopes, and creeks
The west side of the valley around Glen Ellen climbs toward Sonoma Mountain and Jack London State Historic Park, with coast live and valley oaks, California bay, and madrone on steep lots. Bay trees resprout quickly after cutting and crowd oaks and houses alike, and bay is a known carrier of the pathogen behind Sudden Oak Death, so thinning bay close to oaks is common advice. Steep driveways, creek setbacks, and little room to drop trees mean many removals are rigged down in pieces; see oak tree removal for how dead oaks are handled.
Defensible space here
County Code Chapter 13A sets the hazardous vegetation standard for unincorporated parcels: a lean, clean, and green zone within 30 feet of structures and a reduced-fuel zone out to 100 feet. Permit Sonoma and the fire districts inspect, and violations that are not corrected can be abated by the County with costs liened to the property. Typical Glen Ellen work is limbing oaks up, removing dead trees and brush near the house and along the driveway, and chipping. See defensible space and fire clearance for what each zone involves.
Have a tree on your Glen Ellen property you are worried about? Call (707) 634-8593, or request an estimate from a local tree service contractor.
Tree services in Glen Ellen
- Tree Removal → Removal of dead, leaning, diseased, and unwanted trees, including large oaks, redwoods, and eucalyptus on tight or sloped lots.
- Storm-Damaged & Fallen Tree Removal → Fallen trees, split trunks, hanging limbs, and trees on roofs, fences, or driveways after North Bay winter storms.
- Tree Trimming & Pruning → Crown thinning, deadwood removal, structural pruning, and clearance pruning for oaks, redwoods, and ornamentals.
- Stump Grinding & Removal → Grinding stumps and surface roots below grade so you can replant, lay lawn, or build, plus full stump removal where needed.
- Arborist Reports & Tree Permits → Arborist reports for city and county tree removal permits, protected and heritage trees, and construction near trees.
- Defensible Space & Fire Clearance → Limbing up, juniper and brush removal, dead tree removal, and chipping for Marin evaluations and Sonoma inspections.
- Oak Tree Removal & Sudden Oak Death → Dead and dying coast live oaks, tanoaks, and valley oaks, including Sudden Oak Death losses and protected-oak permits.
- Eucalyptus Tree Removal → Taking down tall, brittle blue gum eucalyptus near homes, roads, and fire zones, and dealing with regrowth.
- Redwood Tree Removal & Trimming → Redwoods crowding foundations, driveways, and sewer lines, thinning redwood groves, and removals where a permit allows.
- Crane Tree Removal → Crane-assisted removals for big trees over houses, on steep hillside lots, and anywhere there is no room to drop or rig.
- Dead & Hazardous Tree Removal → Dead, dying, cracked, and leaning trees that threaten the house, the street, or the neighbors, with the paperwork hazard removals need.
- Roof Clearance & Limb Removal → Lifting limbs off roofs, gutters, chimneys, and decks for fire clearance, insurance letters, and plain peace of mind.
- Tree Risk Assessment → A qualified look at a leaning, cracked, or hollow tree before a storm decides for you, with a written recommendation.
- Lot Clearing & Brush Chipping → Clearing overgrown lots, thinning small trees and brush, and chipping or hauling the debris for building, fire safety, or sale.
- Fruit Tree & Olive Pruning → Dormant and summer pruning for backyard orchards, old olives, and heritage fruit trees on wine country properties.
- Palm Tree Trimming & Removal → Skinning and trimming tall palms, removing dead fronds and seed pods, and taking out palms that have outgrown the lot.
- Tree Cabling & Bracing → Support systems for split trunks and heavy limbs on trees worth keeping, installed and inspected to industry standards.
- Insurance-Required Tree Removal → Clearing trees and limbs an insurer has flagged before a policy renewal or non-renewal deadline, with documentation.
- View Pruning → Opening up bay, hill, and valley views with selective thinning and reduction that keeps the tree healthy and the neighbors on side.
Frequently asked questions
Can I remove a fire-damaged oak in Glen Ellen without a permit?
If the oak is dead, dying, or hazardous and inside your home's defensible space zone, Sonoma County exempts it from the tree permit. Farther from structures, a protected native 6 inches or more in diameter may need a zoning permit. Photos and an arborist letter help document the condition.
Is an oak that survived the 2017 fire safe now?
Many recovered well, but fire damage at the base can lead to decay that shows up years later. Look for hollow or blackened wood at the root collar, fungus, cracks, and dieback in the crown. An assessment tells you which trees to keep.
Who inspects defensible space in Glen Ellen?
In unincorporated Sonoma County, Permit Sonoma and the local fire districts carry out hazardous vegetation inspections under Chapter 13A. Glen Ellen is served by the Sonoma Valley Fire District.
Is brush clearing for fire safety exempt from the county tree permit?
Permit Sonoma states that defensible space work done under PRC 4291 or County Code Chapter 13A is not subject to the tree protection ordinance. Keep the work to what fire clearance calls for; clearing a whole stand of oak woodland is a different matter.
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