Emergency tree service in Portland, Oregon
When a tree comes down in Portland, call 911 for any downed wire first, then your electric utility, and photograph everything before a crew starts cutting.
Peak Dec · Feb; 73% in Nov–Feb.
Portland General Electric
Emergency work is priced by crew-hour; ask for the call-out minimum.
First hour: who to call
Handle the first hour in this order. Move people away from the damaged tree and any sagging line, call 911 for a downed wire, and report the outage to your electric utility. Take photos from several angles before anything is cut.
Then deal with the permit. Portland’s Type A path covers dead, dying and dangerous trees without public notice, so a storm-broken tree 12 inches DBH or larger still goes through Urban Forestry (503-823-8733), just faster. Replacement is still required afterward.
Power lines and utilities in Portland
| Utility | Outage line | Tree trimming requests |
|---|---|---|
| Portland General Electric | 503-464-7777 or 800-544-1795 (24 h) | request page |
Split: Pacific Power serves most of NE Portland, part of N Portland and three downtown pockets; PGE serves SE, SW, NW and most of N
Source: utility vegetation-management pages linked above; OAR 437-002-0306 (OR-OSHA). Checked 2026-10-02.
Storm records for Multnomah County
Most Multnomah County emergencies are winter ones. Of 208 NOAA storm reports, 73% fall between November and February, peaking in December, February and January, and heavy snow (66) leads the list. Reports have eased lately, 51 in the latest three years against 84 before, but the county still ranks 5th of 36 in Oregon.
FEMA’s National Risk Index rates ice storm risk at 91.8, so an ice-split limb on a line is the classic Portland call. Wildfire adds 34 more reports; see the Multnomah County page.
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 |
February 13 and 14, 2025 brought the county’s top recent NOAA episode. A warm front ran into cold air that was already in place, and the precipitation fell as snow, sleet and freezing rain across western Oregon. NOAA logged 7 reports in the Portland metro zones and the Tualatin Valley and $100,000 in damage, the kind of icing that splits limbs and drops them on lines.
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).
Insurance and documentation
Your claim rests on what you record. Photograph the tree, its root plate or break, and every bit of damage, with dates, and keep invoices and the permit paperwork from Urban Forestry. Ask the crew to note the cause of failure on the invoice.
Coverage usually depends on whether the tree hit a covered structure. The Oregon storm insurance guide explains the typical rules.
Full guide: storm-damaged trees and insurance in Oregon.
What emergency work costs
Emergency jobs price above planned ones because damaged wood is under tension, rigging takes longer, and every crew in the metro is busy at once. The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro area has about 1,160 tree workers by BLS count, at a mean of $35.04 an hour.
The modeled range below reflects storm conditions; see fallen tree removal for the usual scope.
| Tree height | Crew-hours | Oregon modeled range |
|---|---|---|
| Under 25 ft | 2–4 | $450–$900 |
| 25 to 50 ft | 4–8 | $900–$1,800 |
| 50 to 80 ft | 8–16 | $1,800–$3,600 |
| Over 80 ft | 14–30 | $3,150–$6,750 |
Modeled estimate, not quotes (method): crew-hours × $225 per crew-hour; ×1.25 within 10 ft of a structure, ×1.3 with no truck access; a crane day adds $1,500–$3,500; stump grinding is separate.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 37-3013. Checked 2026-10-02.
What to do next
Once everyone is safe, document, then call. Check any crew’s license with the Oregon license lookup before paying, and have survivors near the house checked with a risk assessment after the rush.
Back to tree service in Portland · Emergency tree service across WA and OR · Emergency tree service in Oregon · cost guide.
Sources
- Portland tree code (Portland City Code Title 11 (Trees): 11.40.020, 11.40.030, 11.40.050 (Table 40-3), 11.40.060, 11.50.040, 11.20.060, 11.60), checked 2026-10-02.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 37-3013, checked 2026-10-02.
- 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.
- Portland General Electric vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
- Oregon insurance regulator guidance, 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.