Tree service in Gresham, Oregon

Tree removal permits in Gresham

Gresham Development Code Section 9.1000 sets the rule. A regulated tree is 8 inches DBH or larger, or 6 inches inside the floodplain, hillside and geologic-risk, or natural-resource overlays. On single-family and middle-housing lots of 35,000 square feet or less, you may remove up to three regulated trees every 12 months with a free exemption; larger sites get six. Past that, a Type II permit is required, with a fee from the city schedule. Trees under 6 inches, and those from 6 to 8 inches outside the sensitive areas, need nothing.

Replacement follows a permitted removal: one-for-one for trees under 24 inches, and for bigger trees 1 caliper inch of new tree for every 4 inches removed, with a fee-in-lieu option set by resolution. A street tree in the right-of-way needs a free Type I permit and must be replanted from the city’s approved list. Check whether your lot falls in an overlay with the Planner on Duty (503-618-2780, POD@GreshamOregon.gov). The Oregon permit guide compares other cities.

Every city compared: tree removal permits in Oregon.

Source: Urban Design & Planning, Planner on Duty (503-618-2780, POD@GreshamOregon.gov), Gresham Development Code Section 9.1000 (Tree Protection, Removal and Replacement; Table 9.1042); overlays in 5.0200 and 5.0700. Checked 2026-10-02.

Storm records for Multnomah County (covers Gresham)

Multnomah County ranks 5th of Oregon’s 36 counties for storm reports, with 208 logged by NOAA since 2016. Heavy snow leads at 66, and winter storms and wildfire tie at 34 each; strong wind (26) and high wind (20) follow. Gresham sits at the county’s east end, close to the West Columbia River Gorge I-84 corridor zone, where east winds funnel out of the Gorge in winter.

Ice is the hazard FEMA singles out. Its National Risk Index (December 2025) scores Multnomah County’s ice storm risk at 91.8, Relatively High, with winter weather at 85.2. Seventy-three percent of reports fall between November and February. The total has come down, 51 in the latest three years against 84 in the three before, but the rank still puts the county near the top of the state.

NWS forecast zones covering the county: East Portland Metro; Inner Portland Metro; North Oregon Cascades; Outer Southeast Portland Metro; Tualatin Valley; West Columbia River Gorge I-84 Corridor.

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).

Power lines and utilities in Gresham

No utility is mapped for Gresham in this data yet. Before any trimming near a line, find the provider on your bill and look it up in the utility directory, and call it, not a tree crew, if a branch is touching a wire.

The rules for working close to lines, including who handles the service drop, are in tree removal near power lines.

Source: utility vegetation-management pages linked above; OAR 437-002-0306 (OR-OSHA). Checked 2026-10-02.

Pests and quarantines

Emerald ash borer (EAB) · quarantineMediterranean oak borer (MOB)

Multnomah County is inside Oregon’s emerald ash borer quarantine. Raw ash wood has to stay in the quarantine; it can leave only as chips 1 inch or smaller or kiln-dried, debarked lumber, and loads should be covered between April 1 and September 30. Mediterranean oak borer is also confirmed: chip or burn infested oaks, stump included, on site, and don’t move cut oak firewood more than 10 miles. Ash and oak removals here also need to fit Gresham’s three-tree allowance. See EAB in Oregon.

• Emerald ash borer (EAB): OR (ODF/ODA): keep raw ash wood inside the quarantine; move only as <=1-in chips or kiln-dried debarked lumber, or heat 160F core for 60 min with ODA permission; cover loads during flight period Apr 1
• Mediterranean oak borer (MOB): Don't move cut oak firewood >10 miles from source; cut then burn or chip (<=1 in) infested trees including the stump on site; report with photos/location to Oregon Invasives Hotline

Source: Emerald ash borer (EAB) · Mediterranean oak borer (MOB). Checked 2026-10-02.

Rain, snow and the growing season in Gresham

Gresham is in USDA hardiness zone 9a. NOAA’s normals at the Troutdale airport station show 40.66 inches of precipitation a year, wettest in December. Replacement trees are required after permitted removals, so choose from the city’s approved list with ice in mind: smaller, flexible-limbed species near the house and lines.

Portland Troutdale Ap, Or Us: 40.7 in of precipitation a year, wettest in December. USDA hardiness zone 9a.

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020 · USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (OSU PRISM ZIP data). Checked 2026-10-02.

Labor index for Gresham

BLS puts tree trimmers and pruners in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro at a $35.04 mean and $36.33 median hourly wage, among roughly 1,160 workers. It is a wage, not a price. The modeled ranges on the service pages turn those hours into job totals, and a Gresham job that needs replacement planting or a Type II application costs more than the cutting alone.

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: $35.04 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).

238 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Multnomah 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.

ZIP codes and nearby cities

Gresham covers ZIP codes 97024, 97030, 97080, 97230, 97233 and 97236. Troutdale is 3 miles away, Happy Valley 6, Milwaukie and Portland 10, and Oregon City and West Linn 13. Each city has its own code, so confirm which one covers the tree. County data is on the Multnomah County page.

ZIP codes with the most land inside Gresham: 970809703097230972339702497236

• Troutdale3 miles
• Happy Valley6 miles
• Milwaukie10 miles
• Portland10 miles
• Oregon City13 miles
• West Linn13 miles

County page: Multnomah County.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ZCTA to place and county relationship files. Checked 2026-10-02.

Tree services in Gresham

The service pages apply Gresham’s code to one job at a time. Removal covers the three-tree exemption and replacement ratios; trimming covers the street tree permit and line safety; stump grinding covers 811 and the ash and oak wood rules; and the emergency page is built around ice storms like February 2025.

• Tree removal in Gresham
• Tree trimming in Gresham
• Stump grinding in Gresham
• Emergency tree service in Gresham
• Arborists and tree health
• Check a license in Oregon

What to do next

Count the regulated trees you have removed in the last 12 months and check whether your lot is in an overlay, where the threshold drops to 6 inches. Ask the Planner on Duty if you are unsure. Have an ice-damaged tree checked with a risk assessment first, and confirm the contractor in the Oregon license lookup.