Tree service in Crook County, Oregon
In Crook County the storm that breaks trees is snow: heavy snow accounts for 40 of the 65 reports NOAA has logged here since 2016, more than every other type combined.
Ranks 33 of 36 Oregon counties for wind, ice, snow and storm reports.
58% of reports fall November through February.
FEMA National Risk Index rates winter weather as “Relatively Moderate” here.
+11.4% since 2020 (Census Vintage 2025).
USDA 2023 zone covering most of the county.
Landscaping-services establishments, Census CBP 2023.
Storm records for Crook County
Crook County’s storm record is dominated by one type. Of the 65 reports NOAA logged from 2016 through 2026, 40 were heavy snow, against 9 wildfire, 6 high wind, 5 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind and one each of lightning, ice storm and winter storm. The county ranks 33rd of Oregon’s 36 on total reports, so storms are uncommon, but when one arrives it usually comes as weight on branches rather than wind.
January and February hold 13 reports each and December 9; 58% of all reports fall between November and February, with the rest spread thinly through spring and summer. Recent years have run busier, 18 reports in 2023 through 2025 against 12 in 2020 through 2022, and 2024 alone produced 10.
For a homeowner, that means most removals here are planned jobs, and the storm risk to manage is snow load: dense crowns, multi-stem junipers and pines with heavy lateral limbs over the roof or driveway.
Reports by month, 2016 to 2026
| Event type | Reports |
|---|---|
| Heavy Snow | 40 |
| Wildfire | 9 |
| High Wind | 6 |
| Hail | 5 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2 |
| Lightning | 1 |
| Ice Storm | 1 |
| Winter Storm | 1 |
The late-February 2019 storm shows what Crook County snow can do. Starting February 22 and running through the 27th, a plume of mid-level moisture parked over the inland Northwest and drifted back and forth, and a nearly stationary boundary over central Oregon pushed snowfall rates above an inch an hour. Prineville measured 22 inches; Redmond, Bend and Sisters measured 30, 33 and 40. NOAA logged two heavy-snow reports for the Central Oregon and Ochoco-John Day Highlands zones on February 23 and put property damage at about $1.5 million.
NWS forecast zones covering the county: Central Oregon; Ochoco-John Day Highlands.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2016 to June 2026 · NWS zone-county correlation files (2019 to 2026 versions). Checked 2026-10-02. NOAA Storm Events 2016-2026; zone-based events assigned to every county the NWS zone covers using the zone-county correlation file in force on the event date (2019-04-02 file used for 2016-2018).
Hazard ratings
Strong wind: Very LowIce storm: Very LowWinter weather: Relatively ModerateWildfire: Relatively Moderate
FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Crook County Relatively Moderate for winter weather and wildfire, Very Low for strong wind and ice storms, and Very Low overall. The winter score of 73.9 and wildfire score of 95.1 are the two to read: snow breakage and fire exposure drive tree work here, not wind.
On wildfire the county ranks higher than 54% of Oregon counties. Thinning ladder fuels and limbing up trees near the house matter as much as storm pruning; the defensible space guide covers spacing and clearance.
Wildfire risk to homes: higher than 54% of Oregon counties (USDA Forest Service, Wildfire Risk to Communities).
What to do about wildfire exposure: defensible space in Washington and Oregon.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release · USDA Forest Service, Wildfire Risk to Communities (April 2026 download). Checked 2026-10-02.
Burning the debris
Oregon DEQ sets open-burning rules in Crook County under the statewide rule, OAR 340-264, with no county-specific section. Local fire-season restrictions can still close burning in a county with this much fire exposure, so check the Oregon yard debris burning rules and your fire district before burning slash from a removal.
Full rules, seasons and alternatives: yard debris burning rules in Oregon.
Source: Oregon DEQ. Checked 2026-10-02.
Power lines and utilities
The electric utility serving Crook County is not mapped on this site yet, so its trimming policy and outage line are not listed here. Until it is, treat any tree touching or leaning toward a line as the utility’s call, not yours, and see the utilities directory and tree removal near power lines.
| Utility | Outage line | Tree trimming requests |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Power (PacifiCorp) | 1-877-508-5088; text OUT to 722797 (source: https://www.pacificpower.net/outages-safety.html) | request page |
Source: utility vegetation-management pages linked above; OAR 437-002-0306 (OR-OSHA). Checked 2026-10-02.
Cities and towns in Crook County
Prineville is the county’s only city on this site, home to 11,994 of its 27,564 people, and its tree-removal rule has not been researched yet, so ask the city before cutting. The county is growing fast for rural Oregon, up 11.42% between 2020 and 2025, which means more new lots carved out of juniper and pine and more trees close to new houses.
| Place | Population | Private-tree permit rule |
|---|---|---|
| Prineville | 11,994 | Ask the city |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Vintage 2025 and 2020 Census. Checked 2026-10-02. Permit rules from each city’s code; see the city pages.
Labor index
No metro wage estimate covers Crook County, so the labor index uses the Oregon statewide BLS mean for tree trimmers and pruners: $35.40 an hour. That is what a worker earns, not what a job costs; the modeled range below adds equipment, insurance and overhead. Census County Business Patterns counted 11 landscaping-services establishments in the county in 2023, so a crane job or a large removal may draw a crew from outside the county, with travel time in the bill.
Oregon statewide: $35.40 per hour mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners (BLS, May 2025); no metro estimate is published, so the statewide figure is shown. This is a labor index, not a price; the modeled crew-hour cost used on this site is $225 (method).
11 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Crook County in 2023 (Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 561730).
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 37-3013 · U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, NAICS 561730. Checked 2026-10-02.
Climate and growing conditions
Crook County sits mostly in USDA hardiness zone 6b, with 6a at higher elevation. That is cold enough to rule out many west-side species, so replant with trees that handle both hard winters and dry summers, and favor sturdy branch structure over fast growth given how much of the storm record is snow. Keep new plantings outside the defensible space zone around the house.
USDA hardiness zones 6a, 6b (2023 map, by ZIP code).
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (OSU PRISM ZIP data). Checked 2026-10-02.
Nearby counties
- Wheeler County94 storm reports since 2016
- Deschutes County143 storm reports since 2016
- Jefferson County175 storm reports since 2016
- Grant County81 storm reports since 2016
- Wasco County145 storm reports since 2016
What to do next
Have trees with heavy limbs over the roof assessed before December through a risk assessment, and pair that with fire-season limbing. Ask Prineville about its permit rule if you are inside city limits. Then call for trimming or removal.
Before hiring, check the company in the Oregon tree service license lookup.
Services: tree removal · trimming · stump grinding · emergency. Check any company: Oregon license lookup.
Major storms that reached Crook County
These regional storms produced NOAA Storm Events reports in Crook County since 2016. Each storm page lists the dates, report counts and the other counties hit.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2016 to June 2026, checked 2026-10-02.
- NWS zone-county correlation files (2019 to 2026 versions), checked 2026-10-02.
- FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release, checked 2026-10-02.
- USDA Forest Service, Wildfire Risk to Communities (April 2026 download), checked 2026-10-02.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Vintage 2025 and 2020 Census, checked 2026-10-02.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, NAICS 561730, checked 2026-10-02.
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (OSU PRISM ZIP data), checked 2026-10-02.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 37-3013, checked 2026-10-02.
- Oregon DEQ, checked 2026-10-02.
- Pacific Power (PacifiCorp) vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
Comparing quotes? Check these eight things first.
Two quotes for the same tree can differ by thousands. The gap is usually in what's included, not the cutting.
We don't vet or license anyone. These are the official lookups; each takes about a minute.
| What | Where | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon CCB license | CCB license search | Active status, bond, insurance on file, complaints |
| Oregon LCB license | LCB verify a license | Landscape contracting license, which covers tree work |
| Washington contractor registration | L&I Verify | Registration, bond, workers' comp, lawsuits, violations |
| ISA Certified Arborist | ISA directory | Current certification and credential number |
How to read them: Oregon guide · Washington guide
Westcoast-Tree.org is an independent information site. If you call a number on this site, the call goes to a tree service that covers your area and we may be paid a referral fee by that company. We don't perform tree work and we don't vet, license or insure anyone. Cost figures are modeled estimates, not quotes (method). Not affiliated with the former Westcoast Tree Care Inc of Tumwater, WA.