Tree service in Deschutes County, Oregon
Snow is what brings trees down in Deschutes County: 78 of the 143 storm reports NOAA has logged here since 2016 were heavy snow. Bend, the county’s largest city, has no private-tree removal permit.
Ranks 16 of 36 Oregon counties for wind, ice, snow and storm reports.
51% of reports fall November through February.
FEMA National Risk Index rates winter weather as “Relatively High” here.
+7.5% since 2020 (Census Vintage 2025).
USDA 2023 zone covering most of the county.
Landscaping-services establishments, Census CBP 2023.
Storm records for Deschutes County
More than half of the county’s storm record is one hazard. NOAA counts 78 heavy snow reports out of 143 since 2016, and the winter months carry the load: February leads with 24 reports, January has 22 and December 19, so 51% of everything falls between November and February.
Summer has its own spike. Hail adds 26 reports and wildfire 18, and May and August each logged 16, which is why a Deschutes yard can need two kinds of work in one year: snow-bent pine limbs in winter and fuel reduction before fire season. High wind is a minor player at 10 reports.
The total ranks 16th of Oregon’s 36 counties, and the pace is steady: 41 reports in 2023 through 2025 against 38 in 2020 through 2022. NOAA’s costliest entry is the February 2019 snow, when storm totals reached 40 inches in Sisters, 33 in Bend and 30 in Redmond and the county’s three reports carried $1.5 million in damage.
Reports by month, 2016 to 2026
| Event type | Reports |
|---|---|
| Heavy Snow | 78 |
| Hail | 26 |
| Wildfire | 18 |
| High Wind | 10 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 5 |
| Winter Storm | 3 |
| Ice Storm | 1 |
| Tornado | 1 |
| Lightning | 1 |
On May 30, 2020, a strong upper-level low crossed central and northeast Oregon in the afternoon, and the air over the region was unusually unstable for the Northwest, with dewpoints reaching into the 60s. Strong winds aloft pushed the thunderstorms along quickly, and they produced large hail and damaging gusts as they moved. NOAA logged seven reports in Deschutes County from that one afternoon, six of hail and one of thunderstorm wind, the most of any single episode in the county’s record.
NWS forecast zones covering the county: Central Oregon; East Slopes of the Oregon Cascades; 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: Relatively LowIce storm: Relatively LowWinter weather: Relatively HighWildfire: Relatively High
FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Deschutes County Relatively High for winter weather and Relatively High for wildfire, Relatively Low for both strong wind and ice storms, and Relatively Moderate overall. That pairing matches the storm log: loads of snow on branches, then dry fuel in summer.
USDA’s Forest Service puts wildfire risk to homes here higher than 40% of Oregon counties. For tree work, that makes limbing up conifers and clearing ladder fuel near the house as much a part of the job as hazard removal; the defensible space guide covers the distances.
Wildfire risk to homes: higher than 40% 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
Deschutes County falls under Oregon DEQ’s statewide open-burning rules in OAR 340-264. The year-round backyard ban that DEQ applies to the Portland metro does not reach here, and the county is not one of the five with separate rules in -0110. Fire-season restrictions can still close burning, so call your fire agency before lighting a slash pile; the Oregon burning guide explains the statewide conditions.
Full rules, seasons and alternatives: yard debris burning rules in Oregon.
Source: Oregon DEQ. Checked 2026-10-02.
Power lines and utilities
No electric utility is mapped for Deschutes County on this site yet, so the outage number and line-clearance policy for your address are not listed here. Find the utility name on your bill and start from the utilities index. Snow-loaded limbs on a service line are the utility’s problem before they are a tree crew’s.
| 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 Deschutes County
About half of Deschutes County’s 213,072 residents (Census, 2025, up 7.47% since 2020) live in Bend, population 107,342. Bend has no permit for removing private trees, which makes most backyard removals there a scheduling question rather than a paperwork one.
Redmond (38,547) is the second city, and a removal rule there was not found when we checked; ask the city before cutting. La Pine (2,512) has not been researched yet.
| Place | Population | Private-tree permit rule |
|---|---|---|
| Bend | 107,342 | No private-tree permit |
| Redmond | 38,547 | Ask the city |
| Sisters | 3,064 | Ask the city |
| La Pine | 2,512 | 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
BLS puts the mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners in the Bend area at $33.32 an hour. That is what a worker earns, not what a job costs; the modeled crew rate below adds payroll burden, equipment and overhead. Census County Business Patterns counted 148 landscaping-services establishments in the county in 2023, so getting two or three assessments on a planned removal is realistic.
Bend, OR: $33.32 per hour mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners (BLS, May 2025). This is a labor index, not a price; the modeled crew-hour cost used on this site is $225 (method).
148 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Deschutes 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
Most of the county sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b, with 6a at higher ground and 7a in the warmest pockets. Replant for cold and dry summers: a tree that thrives in the Willamette Valley may not survive a Bend winter. Given the snow record, favor species and forms that shed load, and keep new conifers well away from the roof so the next February storm has nothing to drop on it.
USDA hardiness zones 6a, 6b, 7a (2023 map, by ZIP code).
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (OSU PRISM ZIP data). Checked 2026-10-02.
Nearby counties
- Crook County65 storm reports since 2016
- Jefferson County175 storm reports since 2016
- Linn County141 storm reports since 2016
- Wheeler County94 storm reports since 2016
- Lane County249 storm reports since 2016
What to do next
Start with the tree. A risk assessment tells you whether a snow-damaged pine needs trimming or full removal. Then check your city in the table above; Bend needs no private-tree permit, while Redmond residents should ask first.
Before you sign, look up the company’s CCB record through the Oregon tree service license lookup, then call.
Services: tree removal · trimming · stump grinding · emergency. Check any company: Oregon license lookup.
Major storms that reached Deschutes County
These regional storms produced NOAA Storm Events reports in Deschutes 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.