Tree service in Woodburn, Oregon

Tree removal permits in Woodburn

Woodburn regulates large trees on private property through Section 3.06.07 of the Woodburn Development Ordinance, revised by Ordinances 2621 and 2622, which took effect March 27, 2024. A significant tree is any tree with a diameter at breast height (DBH, measured 4.5 feet above the ground) of 24 inches or more. Trees under 24 inches DBH can be removed without a permit; a significant tree needs a Significant Tree Removal Permit from the Planning Division, and a certified arborist’s report may be required to show the tree is dead, diseased, dying, structurally unsound or hazardous. An approved removal carries replacement requirements, and the city publishes a list of prohibited trees for replanting. In an emergency a dangerous significant tree can come down first, but the permit application is still due within three days, and the city strongly advises photographing the tree before removal. An intentional unpermitted removal of a significant tree is punishable by a fine of $5,000 to $10,000 under Ordinance 2592.

Street trees are handled separately under Ordinance 2424. A street tree is one whose trunk is wholly or partly within the right-of-way, and removing one requires a permit from the Public Works Director, granted only if the tree is dangerous, dead or dying, diseased and a threat to other trees, or causing damage to infrastructure that normal maintenance cannot correct. Subject to the city budget, the owner pays the first $200 of removal cost and half of anything above it, and the city may require a replacement tree at the owner’s expense. For private trees, the Planning Division is at 503-982-5246; for street trees, contact Public Works. The Oregon permit guide shows how other Oregon cities set their rules.

Every city compared: tree removal permits in Oregon.

Source: City of Woodburn, Tree Removal, WDO 3.06.07; Ordinances 2424, 2592, 2621 and 2622. Checked 2026-10-02.

Storm records for Marion County (covers Woodburn)

Fire shows up in Marion County’s storm log more than the valley weather would suggest. NOAA logged 148 reports for the county; heavy snow leads with 60, but wildfire is second with 34, ahead of 21 winter storms and 19 wind reports split between strong and high wind. The county ranks 13th of Oregon’s 36, and its forecast zones run from the East Central Willamette Valley up into the Cascade foothills and the Cascades, where the 2020 fire reports were logged.

On the valley floor, winter still sets the pace: 64 percent of reports fall between November and February, peaking in December, February and January. FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county Relatively High for wind (89.9) and Relatively High overall. The record has quietened, 37 reports in the latest three years against 70 in the three before.

NWS forecast zones covering the county: Cascade Foothills of Marion and Linn Counties; Cascades of Marion and Linn Counties; East Central Willamette Valley.

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).

Power lines and utilities in Woodburn

Portland General Electric is the utility for Woodburn. PGE trims around its transmission lines and its primary and secondary distribution lines, and it asks customers to keep at least 10 feet of clearance around primary lines; the exact distance varies with voltage under Oregon PUC rule OAR 860-024-0016. The service wire to your house is trimmed only when branches strain or rub it, so routine clearance there is yours, and PGE asks that nothing be planted under or around its wires. Outages go to 503-464-7777 or 800-544-1795, answered 24 hours. Check the utility directory if your bill names a different provider, and see tree removal near power lines before hiring for work near any wire.

Source: utility vegetation-management pages linked above; OAR 437-002-0306 (OR-OSHA). Checked 2026-10-02.

Pests and quarantines

Emerald ash borer (EAB) · quarantineMediterranean oak borer (MOB)

Two borers matter here. Emerald ash borer is confirmed and Woodburn is inside Oregon’s quarantine: raw ash wood stays inside it and can leave only as chips 1 inch or smaller, as kiln-dried debarked lumber, or after heating to 160°F at the core for 60 minutes with ODA permission, and loads must be covered from April 1 to September 30. Mediterranean oak borer is also confirmed: don’t move cut oak firewood more than 10 miles, and burn or chip infested trees, stump included, on site. Report either to the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline, and read the Oregon emerald ash borer guide.

• 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.

Growing conditions in Woodburn

Woodburn is in USDA hardiness zone 8b. With ash under quarantine and the borer confirmed, an ash is a poor replant choice; pick a species that handles the county’s 60 heavy-snow and 21 winter-storm reports, and keep it clear of the service drop CPI leaves to owners. A permitted significant-tree removal carries replacement requirements, so check the city’s prohibited-tree list before replanting.

USDA hardiness zone 8b (2023 map, by ZIP code).

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (OSU PRISM ZIP data). Checked 2026-10-02.

Labor index for Woodburn

BLS puts the Salem metro mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners at $34.49 an hour and the median at $34.23, from about 100 workers. That is a wage, not a quote. Ash removals inside the quarantine add chipping or haul limits on top of crew-hours, and the modeled ranges on the service pages are built from this wage plus equipment and disposal.

Salem, OR: $34.49 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).

220 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Marion 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.

ZIP codes and nearby cities

Woodburn is served by ZIP code 97071. Canby, Newberg and Wilsonville are each 12 miles away, Keizer 13, Sherwood 15 and Tualatin 16, and each has its own code; a rule that applies in one does not carry over. County data is on the Marion County page.

ZIP codes with the most land inside Woodburn: 97071

• Canby12 miles
• Newberg12 miles
• Wilsonville12 miles
• Keizer13 miles
• Sherwood15 miles
• Tualatin16 miles

County page: Marion County.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ZCTA to place and county relationship files. Checked 2026-10-02.

Ash borer, burning and local help in Woodburn

The ash borer is close to home. On July 30, 2024, the Oregon Department of Forestry’s invasive species specialist found five adult emerald ash borers in a trap along the Pudding River south of Woodburn and west of Mt. Angel, a catch ODF said indicated a significant population; it was the find that confirmed the beetle in Marion County. The city keeps an Emerald Ash Borer Information and Resources page and posted an update dated December 19, 2025 announcing an ash tree inventory for Woodburn.

Burning is allowed only in set windows. Woodburn Fire District treats the city and the area up to 3 miles beyond its limits as a special control area where only yard debris may be burned, usually March 1 to June 15 and October 1 to December 15, and only on approved burn days; call the burn line at 503-982-0011 before lighting. Ash debris from a removal stays inside the quarantine either way.

Marion County lists Republic Services Woodburn, 2215 N. Front St., as the garbage and recycling hauler for the city. For tree problems before a removal decision, OSU Extension’s Marion County office at 1320 Capitol St NE in Salem runs a Master Gardener plant clinic at 503-373-3770.

Source: Oregon Department of Forestry · City of Woodburn · Woodburn Fire District · Marion County · OSU Extension. Checked 2026-10-02.

Tree services in Woodburn

The pages below pair Woodburn’s situation with Oregon’s modeled ranges. Removal is where the 24-inch permit threshold and the ash quarantine both apply; trimming near a service drop falls to the owner under CPI’s policy; stump grinding needs an 811 locate, and ash grindings stay inside the quarantine; and the emergency page covers winter snow and an east wind like September 2020’s.

• Tree removal (statewide guide)
• Tree trimming (statewide guide)
• Stump grinding (statewide guide)
• Emergency tree service (statewide guide)
• Arborists and tree health
• Check a license in Oregon

What to do next

Measure the trunk 4.5 feet above the ground: at 24 inches or more, apply for a Significant Tree Removal Permit before cutting, and for a street tree, apply to Public Works. Identify the species: ash wood stays inside the quarantine, and oak firewood should not travel more than 10 miles. A tree damaged by snow or wind should get a risk assessment, and any company should be checked in the Oregon license lookup before a deposit.