Tree service in Multnomah County, Oregon
NOAA logged 208 storm reports for Multnomah County since 2016, fifth of Oregon’s 36 counties, and Portland requires a permit before most tree removals. The county is also inside Oregon’s emerald ash borer quarantine.
Ranks 5 of 36 Oregon counties for wind, ice, snow and storm reports.
73% of reports fall November through February.
FEMA National Risk Index rates ice storm as “Relatively High” here.
-2.5% since 2020 (Census Vintage 2025).
USDA 2023 zone covering most of the county.
Landscaping-services establishments, Census CBP 2023.
Storm records for Multnomah County
Few Oregon counties see more. With 208 NOAA storm reports from 2016 on, Multnomah ranks fifth of 36, and the record lists 27 deaths and 18 injuries across those entries. Heavy snow leads with 66 reports; winter storms and wildfire tie at 34 each, followed by strong wind at 26 and high wind at 20. Nine ice-storm reports, three tornadoes and three blizzards round it out.
December carries 52 reports, February 48 and January 39, so 73% of the record falls between November and February. September stands out at 16, the fingerprint of east-wind fire weather in the Gorge and Cascades zones. The busiest year was 2020, with 33 reports.
The pace has eased. The county logged 51 reports in 2023 through 2025 against 84 in 2020 through 2022, about 39% fewer. That is a lull, not a change of climate: the costliest episode in the record, the September 7, 2020 east-wind event, carries about $3.1 billion in property damage across the zones that include the county.
Reports by month, 2016 to 2026
| Event type | Reports |
|---|---|
| Heavy Snow | 66 |
| Winter Storm | 34 |
| Wildfire | 34 |
| Strong Wind | 26 |
| High Wind | 20 |
| Winter Weather | 9 |
| Ice Storm | 9 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 4 |
| Tornado | 3 |
| Blizzard | 3 |
The largest recent episode came on February 13, 2025. Unusually cold air was already in place that morning when a warm front pushed precipitation north across the region, and the warm air riding over the cold layer produced a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain across western Oregon into February 14. NOAA filed seven reports for the Portland metro and Tualatin Valley zones, four for heavy snow and three for winter storm, with about $100,000 in property damage.
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).
Hazard ratings
Strong wind: Relatively ModerateIce storm: Relatively HighWinter weather: Relatively HighWildfire: Relatively Low
FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Multnomah County Relatively High overall, Relatively High for ice storms (score 91.8) and winter weather (85.2), Relatively Moderate for strong wind and Relatively Low for wildfire. Ice is the hazard to plan around: freezing rain glazes every limb of a big Douglas fir or bigleaf maple at once, and the failures land on roofs and lines.
USDA’s Forest Service puts the wildfire risk to homes here higher than 34% of Oregon counties. The 34 wildfire reports in the NOAA record sit mostly in the Gorge and Cascades zones, so on the county’s east edge defensible space is part of tree care.
Wildfire risk to homes: higher than 34% 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 rules under OAR 340-264, and Multnomah County is not a plain statewide-default county: DEQ bans backyard burning year-round inside the Portland metro area (OAR 340-264-0120, -0130 and -0140). For most addresses here that means branches get chipped or hauled, never burned. The Oregon burning guide has the boundary details.
Full rules, seasons and alternatives: yard debris burning rules in Oregon.
Source: Oregon DEQ. Checked 2026-10-02.
Pests and quarantines
Emerald ash borer (EAB) · quarantineMediterranean oak borer (MOB)
Two borers are confirmed in Multnomah County. Emerald ash borer is here and the county is inside Oregon’s EAB quarantine: raw ash wood must stay inside it, leaving only as chips of an inch or less, as kiln-dried debarked lumber, or after heat treatment to 160 F at the core for 60 minutes with ODA permission. Cover ash loads from April 1 to September 30. The Oregon EAB page has the full rule.
Mediterranean oak borer is also confirmed, without a quarantine. Keep cut oak firewood within 10 miles of where it was cut, and burn or chip infested trees on site, stump included. Since burning is banned in the metro, chipping is the realistic route. Report either insect with photos and a location to the Oregon Invasive Species hotline.
- 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.
Power lines and utilities
No utility is mapped for Multnomah County on this site yet, so the outage line and trimming request process for your address are not shown here. Find the utility name on your bill and start at the utilities index. With nine ice-storm reports in the record, assume any limb touching a line is energized and call the utility first.
| Utility | Outage line | Tree trimming requests |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia River PUD | (503) 397-1844 | request page |
| Pacific Power (PacifiCorp) | 1-877-508-5088; text OUT to 722797 (source: https://www.pacificpower.net/outages-safety.html) | request page |
| Portland General Electric | 503-464-7777 or 800-544-1795 (24 h) | request page |
Source: utility vegetation-management pages linked above; OAR 437-002-0306 (OR-OSHA). Checked 2026-10-02.
Cities and towns in Multnomah County
Most of Multnomah County’s 795,391 people (Census, 2025 estimate, down 2.45% since 2020) live in Portland, at 635,109. Portland requires a permit for tree removal, and Gresham (111,513) requires one in some situations. Troutdale (15,776) has no permit rule we could find, so ask the city before cutting.
Fairview (10,762) and Wood Village (4,387) have not been researched yet. Open the city page first; thresholds and replanting requirements differ.
| Place | Population | Private-tree permit rule |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | 635,109 | Permit required |
| Gresham | 111,513 | Permit in some cases |
| Troutdale | 15,776 | Ask the city |
| Fairview | 10,762 | Ask the city |
| Wood Village | 4,387 | 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro at $35.04 an hour. That is a wage, not a price; the modeled crew rate below adds payroll burden, equipment and overhead. Census County Business Patterns counted 238 landscaping-services establishments in the county in 2023, so getting two or three assessments on a planned removal is realistic.
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.
Climate and growing conditions
Most of Multnomah County is USDA hardiness zone 8b, with 8a at higher elevations and 9a in the warmest lowland pockets. Cold hardiness is rarely the limit here; ice is. Given the Relatively High ice rating, favor species with strong branch unions and avoid replanting ash inside the EAB quarantine. Douglas fir and bigleaf maple are the common large trees, and both need room to fall away from the house.
USDA hardiness zones 8a, 8b, 9a (2023 map, by ZIP code).
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (OSU PRISM ZIP data). Checked 2026-10-02.
Nearby counties
- Clackamas County198 storm reports since 2016
- Washington County104 storm reports since 2016
- Hood River County142 storm reports since 2016
- Columbia County113 storm reports since 2016
- Marion County148 storm reports since 2016
What to do next
If you are in Portland, check the permit rule on the city page before booking anything. Then get a risk assessment on the tree; on a tall fir between houses, a crane removal may be the safer method. Then call.
Verify the company’s CCB standing through the Oregon tree service license lookup, and if the tree is an ash, ask how the wood will be handled under the quarantine.
Services: tree removal · trimming · stump grinding · emergency. Check any company: Oregon license lookup.
Major storms that reached Multnomah County
These regional storms produced NOAA Storm Events reports in Multnomah 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.
- Columbia River PUD vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
- Pacific Power (PacifiCorp) vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
- Portland General Electric vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
- Emerald ash borer (EAB), checked 2026-10-02.
- Mediterranean oak borer (MOB), 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.