Tree service in Umatilla County, Oregon
NOAA logged 186 storm reports for Umatilla County since 2016, ninth of Oregon’s 36 counties, and unlike most of the state it gets real spring thunderstorms. Hermiston has no tree-removal permit rule.
Ranks 9 of 36 Oregon counties for wind, ice, snow and storm reports.
65% of reports fall November through February.
FEMA National Risk Index rates ice storm as “Relatively High” here.
+1.3% since 2020 (Census Vintage 2025).
USDA 2023 zone covering most of the county.
Landscaping-services establishments, Census CBP 2023.
Storm records for Umatilla County
The single biggest day in Umatilla County’s record was not a winter storm. On May 30, 2020, severe thunderstorms produced nine NOAA reports in one episode, and May as a whole logs 20 reports, more than March, April or November. Thunderstorm wind (20) and hail (13) are a bigger share here than almost anywhere in Oregon.
Winter still dominates the total of 186, which ranks ninth of 36. Heavy snow leads with 85 reports and high wind follows at 47; February has 47 reports, January 31 and December 28. Four tornado reports appear in the record too.
The pace has eased: 40 reports in 2023 through 2025 against 77 in 2020 through 2022, about 48% fewer. The costliest entry is a February 19, 2016 squall line through the Hermiston and Pendleton area, with $150,000 in damage.
Reports by month, 2016 to 2026
| Event type | Reports |
|---|---|
| Heavy Snow | 85 |
| High Wind | 47 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 20 |
| Hail | 13 |
| Wildfire | 6 |
| Ice Storm | 4 |
| Winter Storm | 4 |
| Tornado | 4 |
| Strong Wind | 2 |
| Winter Weather | 1 |
On May 30, 2020, a powerful upper-level system crossed central and northeast Oregon in the afternoon and evening, meeting an unusually unstable, humid air mass with dewpoints into the 60s. Strong winds aloft set up fast-moving severe thunderstorms with large hail and damaging gusts. NOAA logged nine reports for Umatilla County: five for thunderstorm wind and four for hail.
NWS forecast zones covering the county: Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon; Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon; Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon; Southern Blue Mountains of Oregon.
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 Moderate
FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Umatilla County Relatively High for ice storms (score 93.4) and winter weather (89.6), Relatively Moderate for strong wind and wildfire, and Relatively Moderate overall. Ice and snow load are the main tree hazards; a glazed or snow-heavy crown fails at weak unions.
USDA’s Forest Service puts the wildfire risk to homes higher than 51% of Oregon counties, right at the state middle. On Blue Mountain foothill lots, defensible space belongs on the tree-work list.
Wildfire risk to homes: higher than 51% 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 Umatilla County under the statewide OAR 340-264, with no county-specific chapter. Check fire-district and city conditions before burning, and see the Oregon burning guide for the statewide rules.
Full rules, seasons and alternatives: yard debris burning rules in Oregon.
Source: Oregon DEQ. Checked 2026-10-02.
Power lines and utilities
No electric utility is mapped for Umatilla County on this site yet, so outage numbers and trimming rules for your address are not listed. Find your utility on your bill and start at the utilities index. In a county with 47 high-wind reports and summer thunderstorms, report a tree near a line before storm season.
| Utility | Outage line | Tree trimming requests |
|---|---|---|
| Hermiston Energy Services | 1-888-465-5701 | request page |
| Pacific Power (PacifiCorp) | 1-877-508-5088; text OUT to 722797 (source: https://www.pacificpower.net/outages-safety.html) | request page |
| Umatilla Electric Co-op | (888) 465-5701 | request page |
Source: utility vegetation-management pages linked above; OAR 437-002-0306 (OR-OSHA). Checked 2026-10-02.
Cities and towns in Umatilla County
Umatilla County has 81,119 residents (Census, 2025 estimate, up 1.31% since 2020). Hermiston is the largest city at 19,906 and has no tree-removal permit rule. Pendleton (16,989) has no rule we could find, so check with the city before cutting a street tree.
Umatilla (7,363), Milton-Freewater (7,151), Stanfield (2,144), Pilot Rock (1,328) and Athena (1,209) have not been researched yet.
| Place | Population | Private-tree permit rule |
|---|---|---|
| Hermiston | 19,906 | No private-tree permit |
| Pendleton | 16,989 | Ask the city |
| Umatilla | 7,363 | Ask the city |
| Milton-Freewater | 7,151 | Ask the city |
| Stanfield | 2,144 | Ask the city |
| Pilot Rock | 1,328 | Ask the city |
| Athena | 1,209 | 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
No metro wage series covers Umatilla County, so this page uses BLS’s Oregon statewide mean for tree trimmers and pruners: $35.40 an hour. That is a wage, not a price; the modeled crew rate below adds burden, equipment and overhead. Census County Business Patterns counted 20 landscaping-services establishments in the county in 2023.
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).
20 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Umatilla 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
Umatilla County is mostly USDA hardiness zone 7a, with 6b at higher elevations and 7b in the warmest lowland spots. Choose replacement trees that handle cold winters, dry summers and ice, and favor strong branch structure. In the hail-prone spring, young trees with thin bark may need a season to recover from bruising.
USDA hardiness zones 6b, 7a, 7b (2023 map, by ZIP code).
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (OSU PRISM ZIP data). Checked 2026-10-02.
Nearby counties
- Union County143 storm reports since 2016
- Morrow County82 storm reports since 2016
- Wallowa County89 storm reports since 2016
- Gilliam County82 storm reports since 2016
- Grant County81 storm reports since 2016
What to do next
If you live in Hermiston, no city permit stands in the way; in Pendleton and the smaller towns, ask first. Have storm-damaged trees checked with a risk assessment before choosing trimming or removal.
Then call, and verify the company’s CCB license through the Oregon tree service license lookup.
Services: tree removal · trimming · stump grinding · emergency. Check any company: Oregon license lookup.
Major storms that reached Umatilla County
These regional storms produced NOAA Storm Events reports in Umatilla 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.
- Hermiston Energy Services vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
- Pacific Power (PacifiCorp) vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
- Umatilla Electric Co-op 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.