Highway 108, above Twain Harte
A ponderosa pine drops a quarter to a third of its needles every year, starting in late September and still coming down in January, according to UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. So a Mi-Wuk Village lot cleared in summer is covered again by winter. Our brush clearing in Mi-Wuk Village rakes the needles out along with the brush: off the ground by the walls, out from under decks and stairs, and back from the propane tank, then hauled or chipped. One written price first.
Mi-Wuk Village is cabin country in the mixed conifer belt above about 3,000 feet: ponderosa and sugar pine, incense cedar, white fir and black oak. The 2020 census counted 1,173 homes here and 935 residents, so many cabins sit empty part of the year while the needles pile up. CAL FIRE's unit plan names Mi-Wuk among the towns facing more risk from dead trees. We take out small trees, and for tall dead pines we recommend a licensed tree service.
The town center is mapped Very High fire hazard in the State Responsibility Area. Zones change parcel by parcel, so check your address. CAL FIRE's Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit checks the state's 100 feet, and [[/defensible-space-rules-sonora#county|Tuolumne County's Chapter 8.14]] applies too. The Mi-Wuk Sugar Pine Protection District does volunteer home inspections, a second look before CAL FIRE comes or before you book defensible space clearing.
There is no transfer station in Mi-Wuk. The county's Pinecrest Transfer Station is further up Highway 108, open Saturday to Monday from November to mid-May, and we chip brush on site or haul it, with the dump fee in your price. The town sits above the 3,500-foot line CAL FIRE uses for burning, so in 2026 burning here stayed open until June 15, three weeks longer than in the lower foothills.
Our own job photos: brush loaded for the haul, dry grass cut below a house and growth cut back under a tree.
Dead limbs and dry grass right against the siding, the first five feet inspectors look at. Raked down to gravel.
Before and after photos of one of our jobs
From a customer in Cold Springs, up the hill from Mi-Wuk Village
These guys are amazing! Hardworking and responsive to communication. They helped me clear half an acre of accumulated Pine Needles at a reasonable price. I will definitely hire them again and again.
A 5-star Google review of our crew, quoted word for word.
Needles, brush and the 100 feet around the cabin can all go on one visit and one written price.
Also called brush removal or clearing overgrown brush
Brush, young firs and cedars and fallen limbs cleared from under the pines, with the needles raked up and hauled on the same visit.
The 100-foot fire clearance CAL FIRE inspects
The first five feet raked to bare ground, needles off the deck and stairs, and the 100 feet cleared before a volunteer or CAL FIRE inspection.
Vacant lots, acreage, fence lines and fire breaks
Empty lots near a neighbor's cabin cleared to the county rule, with brush cut down and the needles raked to 3 inches or less.
Mi-Wuk Village is on Highway 108 above Twain Harte, and we clear Long Barn and Cold Springs further up the highway too. Long Barn is on national forest fire protection, so the state hazard map gives it no zone; Cold Springs maps Very High.
Every town we serve in Tuolumne and Calaveras countiesTell us the cabin's street, whether a propane tank or deck needs clearing around it, and when you are next up. We can walk the lot with you by phone.
Call (209) 243-5574Yes, and to Long Barn and Cold Springs above it on Highway 108. We give a free estimate on site or by phone, then one written price before any work starts. In winter, snow can move the date, so we confirm the day with you before we drive up.
At least once a year, after the main drop. Ponderosa needles fall from late September into January, so a clearing in spring catches most of them before fire season. CAL FIRE's standard for the outer zone keeps needles and leaves no more than 3 inches deep.
There may be. The county's 2024 wildfire plan says the Mi-Wuk Sugar Pine Protection District does volunteer home inspections. Ask the district for one before your CAL FIRE inspection, and call us for the clearing it points out.
Only with permits and on a burn day. CAL FIRE has had residential burning suspended since June 15, 2026. When it reopens, you need an air district permit and a CAL FIRE permit, piles 4 feet across or smaller with 10 feet cleared to bare soil, and a check of the burn line.
Small ones, yes. We cut small dead trees and clear what is on the ground. Tall dead pines need a climber, so for those, close to a cabin too, we recommend a licensed tree service. CAL FIRE names Mi-Wuk among the towns facing more risk from dead trees.
Tell us where the property is and what needs clearing. We call you back the same day, usually within the hour, and set a time to walk it with you, in person or on the phone if you are out of the area.
