Tree Removal in Lotus

Lotus is unincorporated and sits a mile west of Coloma. Its 722 feet of elevation puts it below both Coloma and Latrobe.

The town has gone by three names. In 1849 it was Marshall, after the man behind the famous gold find. A year later, when California became a state, it switched to Uniontown. The post office showed up in 1881, and the town's been Lotus ever since.

This was a busy place once, which is hard to picture today. Picture a general store, a dance hall, plus a large Chinese community that kept its own cemetery. Estimates put the peak at somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 residents.

Station 74, on Firehouse Rd, is El Dorado County Fire's post for both Lotus and Coloma. Nobody's stationed there full time. What it does hold is the district's swift water rescue boat and truck.

• Big oaks with dead limbs over a driveway or roof.
• Pines on the slopes that browned out after a hot summer.
• Brush and small trees crowding a house on the hillside.
• Old trees on historic parcels where care matters.

Dead pine on the lot? UC IPM's view is blunt. Spraying won't rescue a badly infested tree, and it should come down soon, since it can go from sick to dead in a single season.

Lotus is unincorporated, so county rules cover it, oaks included. A county summary says up to 8 native oaks a year can come off one parcel for personal use, if the trunks add up to no more than 140 inches. Oaks removed for defensible space upkeep are exempt from mitigation.

Fire clearing follows the county vegetation code and state law. Work the 30 feet nearest the house first, then push out toward 100.

Cost guide ranges:

Sources: This Old House tree removal and stump removal guides (updated March 2026); Thumbtack stump grinding guide (October 2026).

Ask the pro to price the cleanup separately. Then you can decide what stays on site.

A tree pro walks the lot first. They look at what the tree is near, how it leans, and how a truck can get in. Then you get a written price.

Questions worth asking on a Lotus job:

• Will the wood be chipped, hauled, or cut into rounds and left?
• Does the quote cover grinding the stump?
• What if the truck can't handle soft ground?
• How will they protect the driveway and fences?

Take a few photos before the work starts. If anything gets damaged, you'll want them.

Lots out here can be big, with property lines nobody has walked in years. If the tree is near the line, find out whose it is before anyone cuts. A survey stake or the county parcel map helps. If it's shared, talk with your neighbor first and put the deal in writing.

See Coloma tree removal, Pilot Hill tree removal and Gold Hill tree removal. Oaks to sort out? Read oak removal and permits. All towns: service areas.