Down near the harbor the salt air writes itself into everything, and the pines and palms along the west-side streets lean permanently away from the water. Oceanside Tree Service John Carter works those blocks and the ones climbing east of the pier — trimming crowns that catch onshore wind all day, pruning out what the salt and the years have killed. Storm damage cleanup can follow a January front or a dry offshore night; either way it is wood off the driveway first and a clear yard by the end of it. Tree removal happens when a trunk has gone hollow or a root plate has lifted, and it is handled with the narrow streets and the neighbors' cars in mind. Late in the day the ocean light comes in sideways through a freshly opened canopy, and the work looks like exactly what it is.