Tree care articles for Washington and Oregon homeowners

The sources don’t crown a winner, but they do show that Douglas fir and bigleaf maple fail in different ways, for different reasons.

How laminated root rot rots a Douglas fir’s anchoring roots while the crown stays green, how to read the signs in a yard, and what to do before the next windstorm.

A short routine for checking a Washington or Oregon tree crew’s registration, bond, insurance and credentials before anyone climbs your tree.

The decline signs state foresters and extension pathologists describe for Douglas fir, western redcedar, bigleaf maple, Oregon ash and birch, and when a sign means hazard rather than looks.

The price of a tree risk assessment is always a quote, but the deliverable is standardized, and several WA and OR cities ask for it by name.

How deep a grinder goes, which Northwest stumps sprout back, why both states’ 811 laws apply, and what happens to the chips and the hole afterward.

Oregon’s EAB quarantine pushes ash cutting into October through March, so winter is when owners decide whether to treat, remove or wait.

A step-by-step order for the day a tree comes through the roof: utility lines, the insurance call, photos, tarp or emergency removal, and the after-the-fact permit.

Dormant hardwoods, pest calendars and the winter storm peak all point most Washington and Oregon pruning to late fall and winter.

Most Washington and Oregon wind and ice damage arrives between November and March, so October is the month to inspect, prune and plan.