Tree service in Josephine County, Oregon
NOAA storm reports in Josephine County jumped from 16 in 2020 through 2022 to 41 in 2023 through 2025, and USDA’s Forest Service puts the county’s wildfire risk to homes at the very top of Oregon’s 36 counties.
Ranks 20 of 36 Oregon counties for wind, ice, snow and storm reports.
52% of reports fall November through February.
FEMA National Risk Index rates wildfire as “Relatively High” here.
-0.2% since 2020 (Census Vintage 2025).
USDA 2023 zone covering most of the county.
Landscaping-services establishments, Census CBP 2023.
Storm records for Josephine County
The recent record is busier than the one before it. NOAA logged 41 storm reports for Josephine County in 2023 through 2025, more than two and a half times the 16 filed for 2020 through 2022; 2023 alone produced 19. The quiet stretch was the anomaly, since 2016 through 2018 ran between 15 and 20 reports a year.
Across 126 reports since 2016 the county ranks 20th of Oregon’s 36, near the middle. High wind leads at 41, but wildfire sits close behind at 37, ahead of winter storms (25) and heavy snow (17). January carries 26 reports, February 21 and March 17, so late winter is when wind and snow take limbs down. Summer and fall still add 7 to 12 a month, most of them fire.
That split means two kinds of tree work. Winter jobs are storm cleanup; the July through October reports are a reminder that thinning and limbing near the house is fire prep, not only tidying.
Reports by month, 2016 to 2026
| Event type | Reports |
|---|---|
| High Wind | 41 |
| Wildfire | 37 |
| Winter Storm | 25 |
| Heavy Snow | 17 |
| Winter Weather | 2 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2 |
| Strong Wind | 1 |
| Blizzard | 1 |
On May 3, 2026, an upper-level low sitting offshore to the south fed a run of thunderstorms across southern Oregon, and one long-lived cell pushed damaging winds through parts of Josephine and Jackson counties. NOAA logged two thunderstorm wind reports for Josephine in the episode with $78,000 in property damage, the top episode in the county’s record. Those are the only two thunderstorm wind reports Josephine has logged since 2016, so a spring blowdown here is the exception, not the pattern.
NWS forecast zones covering the county: Eastern Curry County and Josephine County; Siskiyou Mountains and Southern Oregon Cascades.
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 High
FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Josephine County Very Low for strong wind and ice storms, Relatively Moderate for winter weather, and Relatively High for wildfire, with an overall rating of Relatively Moderate. The wildfire score of 99.2 is the number to read: USDA’s Forest Service puts wildfire risk to homes here at the 100th percentile among Oregon counties, the highest in the state.
For a homeowner, that shifts what counts as urgent. A leaning fir over the roof matters, but so does a crown touching the eaves or a ladder of dead limbs into the canopy. Treat defensible space work as part of any tree plan here.
Wildfire risk to homes: higher than 100% 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 the burning rules for Josephine County under the statewide OAR 340-264; the county has no separate regional air agency in this data, so the statewide conditions apply. With wildfire this close to the top of the state’s risk list, check fire-season closures before lighting any pile, and chipping or hauling is often the simpler option. The Oregon burning guide has the details.
Full rules, seasons and alternatives: yard debris burning rules in Oregon.
Source: Oregon DEQ. Checked 2026-10-02.
Power lines and utilities
No utility is mapped for Josephine County on this site yet, so the outage line and line-clearance policy for your address are not listed here. Find the utility name on your bill and start at the utilities index. A tree resting on a line is the utility’s job first, whoever serves you, and with 41 high-wind reports on file that call comes up often.
| 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 Josephine County
Josephine County has 87,867 residents (Census Vintage 2025, down 0.25% since 2020), and Grants Pass holds 39,239 of them. Grants Pass has no private-tree removal permit, so on most residential lots the decision is yours; open the Grants Pass page for the street-tree and setback details. Cave Junction (2,071) has not been researched yet; call the city before cutting there.
The rest of the population lives outside city limits across 1,639 square miles, where county rules and fire-season restrictions matter more than a city code.
| Place | Population | Private-tree permit rule |
|---|---|---|
| Grants Pass | 39,239 | No private-tree permit |
| Cave Junction | 2,071 | 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 has no metro wage series that covers Josephine County, so the Oregon statewide mean for tree trimmers and pruners, $35.40 an hour, stands in. That is a wage, not a price; the modeled crew rate below adds payroll burden, equipment and overhead. Census County Business Patterns counted 44 landscaping-services establishments here in 2023, enough that a second opinion on a big job is realistic.
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).
44 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Josephine 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
The 2023 USDA map puts Josephine County mostly in hardiness zone 8b, with some 8a ground. Cold is rarely what kills a replanted tree here; summer drought and fire are. When you replace a removed tree, favor species that tolerate dry summers, keep new conifers well back from the house, and plan the spacing with the 100th-percentile wildfire ranking in mind.
USDA hardiness zones 8a, 8b (2023 map, by ZIP code).
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (OSU PRISM ZIP data). Checked 2026-10-02.
Nearby counties
- Curry County253 storm reports since 2016
- Jackson County202 storm reports since 2016
- Coos County112 storm reports since 2016
- Douglas County228 storm reports since 2016
- Klamath County232 storm reports since 2016
What to do next
Start with an honest look at the tree: a risk assessment tells you whether you need trimming, fuel reduction or full removal. Grants Pass needs no removal permit, but check the city page for street trees. Then call.
Before anyone climbs, confirm the company’s CCB standing with the Oregon tree service license lookup.
Services: tree removal · trimming · stump grinding · emergency. Check any company: Oregon license lookup.
Major storms that reached Josephine County
These regional storms produced NOAA Storm Events reports in Josephine 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.