Tree service in Lincoln County, Oregon
High wind accounts for 119 of the 144 NOAA storm reports logged for Lincoln County since 2016, and NOAA recorded none at all from May through August.
Ranks 15 of 36 Oregon counties for wind, ice, snow and storm reports.
74% of reports fall November through February.
FEMA National Risk Index rates ice storm as “Relatively High” here.
+0.5% since 2020 (Census Vintage 2025).
USDA 2023 zone covering most of the county.
Landscaping-services establishments, Census CBP 2023.
Storm records for Lincoln County
On the central coast the storm season has hard edges. NOAA logged 144 reports for Lincoln County since 2016, and not one fell in May, June, July or August. November leads with 30, January has 29 and December 27; 74% of the record lands between November and February. If you want a planned removal done without a front bearing down, summer is the window.
The mix is almost all wind: 119 high-wind reports, then heavy snow at 8, ice storms at 7 and three winter storms. The county ranks 15th of Oregon’s 36 by total.
The recent trend is down sharply. NOAA logged 28 reports in 2023 through 2025, about half the 54 filed for 2020 through 2022, and 2023 had only 5. The 2020 peak of 26 included the September east-wind event, which carries $120 million in property damage across the zones that include the county.
Reports by month, 2016 to 2026
| Event type | Reports |
|---|---|
| High Wind | 119 |
| Heavy Snow | 8 |
| Ice Storm | 7 |
| Winter Storm | 3 |
| Strong Wind | 2 |
| Wildfire | 2 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1 |
| Winter Weather | 1 |
| Tornado | 1 |
On November 13, 2020, a strong cold front that formed over the Gulf of Alaska reached the Oregon coast and brought high winds ashore. NOAA logged eight high-wind reports for the Central Oregon Coast zone, the largest episode in Lincoln County’s record by report count. It came in the middle of the county’s busiest year, 2020, with 26 reports.
NWS forecast zones covering the county: Central Coast of Oregon; Central Oregon Coast Range; Central Oregon Coast Range Lowlands; North Oregon Coast Range Lowlands.
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: Relatively HighWinter weather: Very LowWildfire: Very Low
FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Lincoln County Relatively High for ice storms, Very Low for strong wind, winter weather and wildfire, and Relatively Moderate overall. The ice score of 86.9 is the outlier: ice is rare on the coast, but when it comes, it loads shore pine and alder crowns that are already wind-stressed.
The Very Low wind rating sits awkwardly beside 119 high-wind reports. FEMA’s index blends frequency with expected loss, and coastal trees are often wind-shaped, but do not read it as calm. Wildfire risk to homes is at the 20th percentile among Oregon counties.
Wildfire risk to homes: higher than 20% 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 Lincoln County under statewide OAR 340-264, with no regional air agency in this data. Local fire-season closures still apply, and coastal wind makes any pile harder to control. Check the Oregon burning guide before you burn, or chip on site.
Full rules, seasons and alternatives: yard debris burning rules in Oregon.
Source: Oregon DEQ. Checked 2026-10-02.
Power lines and utilities
Central Lincoln PUD runs a trimming program along its lines; its outage line is 877-265-3211, and it does not state whether it trims the service drop to your house. Consumers Power Inc. also serves part of the county; it prunes its lines but does not typically prune the service drop, and it has no dedicated outage phone, so use its outage center at outage.cpi.coop. For a tree leaning on your drop, read removal near power lines first.
| Utility | Outage line | Tree trimming requests |
|---|---|---|
| Central Lincoln PUD | 877-265-3211 | request page |
| Consumers Power Inc. | Use the outage line on your bill or the utility’s outage page | request page |
| 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 Lincoln County
Lincoln County’s 50,636 residents (Census Vintage 2025, up 0.46% since 2020) are spread among six towns and the land between them. Newport (10,383) and Lincoln City (10,117) are the largest towns, followed by Toledo (3,546), Waldport (2,249), Depoe Bay (1,515) and Siletz (1,230). None has been researched for tree permits yet, so call the city before cutting a large tree inside city limits.
| Place | Population | Private-tree permit rule |
|---|---|---|
| Newport | 10,383 | Ask the city |
| Lincoln City | 10,117 | Ask the city |
| Toledo | 3,546 | Ask the city |
| Waldport | 2,249 | Ask the city |
| Depoe Bay | 1,515 | Ask the city |
| Siletz | 1,230 | 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 for Lincoln County, so the Oregon statewide mean of $35.40 an hour for tree trimmers and pruners stands in. That is a wage, not a price; the modeled crew rate below adds equipment, burden and overhead. Census counted 21 landscaping-services establishments in the county in 2023, so after a November windstorm, expect a wait.
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).
21 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Lincoln 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 most of Lincoln County in zone 9a, with 8b inland and 9b in spots on the coast. Cold hardiness is rarely the limit; salt wind and the occasional ice load are. Replace a lost tree with a species that tolerates coastal wind, and plant it where a future windthrow will miss the house.
USDA hardiness zones 8b, 9a, 9b (2023 map, by ZIP code).
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (OSU PRISM ZIP data). Checked 2026-10-02.
Nearby counties
- Benton County70 storm reports since 2016
- Polk County78 storm reports since 2016
- Yamhill County79 storm reports since 2016
- Tillamook County152 storm reports since 2016
- Marion County148 storm reports since 2016
What to do next
Plan big jobs for summer, when NOAA’s record shows no storm reports at all. Get a risk assessment on any tree that leans toward the house, then decide between trimming and removal. Then call.
Check the company’s CCB standing with the Oregon tree service license lookup, and confirm with your utility who handles the service drop.
Services: tree removal · trimming · stump grinding · emergency. Check any company: Oregon license lookup.
Major storms that reached Lincoln County
These regional storms produced NOAA Storm Events reports in Lincoln 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.
- Central Lincoln PUD vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
- Consumers Power Inc. vegetation management, 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.