Tree service in Grant County, Washington

Storm records for Grant County

The drop is the headline. Grant County averaged more than 20 storm reports a year from 2016 through 2020, peaking at 27 in 2020, then fell to 3 in 2024 and 4 in 2025. NOAA’s three-year comparison shows 17 reports in 2023 through 2025 against 49 in the three years before, a decline of about two thirds.

Winter still sets the mix. Heavy snow accounts for 70 of 151 reports, with wildfire at 23, winter weather 15, and ice storm and high wind at 12 each. January (44) and February (30) dominate, December adds 18, and 68 percent of reports fall between November and February.

Fewer reports do not mean the old damage is gone. Limbs cracked during the snow and ice years of 2016 through 2020 can still fail, so a look at older shade trees and windbreaks before winter is worth the cost.

NWS forecast zones covering the county: Moses Lake Area; Upper Columbia Basin; Waterville Plateau.

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 LowIce storm: Very LowWinter weather: Relatively ModerateWildfire: Relatively Moderate

FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Grant County Relatively Low overall, Relatively Low for strong wind, Very Low for ice storm, and Relatively Moderate for both winter weather (score 70.0) and wildfire (95.8). The ice rating sits oddly beside the 2017 storm, a reminder that the index measures expected yearly loss, not the worst year.

Wildfire risk to homes is above 68 percent of Washington counties, and NOAA logged 23 wildfire reports here. On rural lots that argues for clearing dead trees and ladder fuels near buildings; the defensible space guide covers spacing.

Wildfire risk to homes: higher than 68% of Washington 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

Washington’s Department of Ecology rules govern outdoor burning in Grant County. Under WAC 173-425-040, residential and land-clearing burning is banned in urban growth areas and cities over 10,000, which includes Moses Lake at 27,469. Ephrata, Quincy and the smaller towns fall under that size, so their urban growth area boundaries decide. Where burning is allowed, section 050 bars prohibited materials and requires attendance and a 50-foot setback; the Washington burning guide has the details.

Full rules, seasons and alternatives: yard debris burning rules in Washington.

Source: Washington Department of Ecology. Checked 2026-10-02.

Power lines and utilities

Grant County PUD keeps trees clear of its lines; see Grant PUD tree trimming for its clearances and contacts.

Grant County PUD’s outage line is 800-216-5226. The PUD trims or removes vegetation that may contact its lines at no cost to you, but its policy does not say who handles the service drop to the house, so ask the PUD before hiring anyone for a limb on that span. Report anything touching a line rather than cutting it.

Source: utility vegetation-management pages linked above; WAC 296-24-960 (WA L&I). Checked 2026-10-02.

Cities and towns in Grant County

Moses Lake is the largest city, with 27,469 of the county’s 105,727 people, and it has no tree-removal permit rule on record. Ephrata (8,834), Quincy (7,543), Mattawa (3,335), Warden (2,449), Royal City (1,776) and Soap Lake (1,691) have not been researched yet, so check with city hall before cutting a street tree. Roughly half the county lives outside these seven cities, where no city permit applies, and the population grew 6.65 percent between 2020 and 2025.

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 Washington’s mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners at $32.20 an hour, and that statewide number stands in for Grant County. It is a wage, not a price: the modeled crew rate below layers equipment and overhead on top.

Census County Business Patterns counted 28 landscaping-services establishments here in 2023, few for 2,680 square miles, so distance can show up in a bid.

Washington statewide: $32.20 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 $210 (method).

28 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Grant 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

USDA hardiness zone 7a covers most of Grant County, with 6b and 7b in places. Choose replacements rated for 6b if your lot sits in a colder pocket. Snow and ice are the storm types to plant against: trees with strong central leaders and flexible wood carry an ice load better than brittle, fast-growing species.

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

• Douglas County291 storm reports since 2016
• Adams County120 storm reports since 2016
• Franklin County52 storm reports since 2016
• Lincoln County310 storm reports since 2016
• Kittitas County83 storm reports since 2016

What to do next

Use the quiet stretch. Storm reports are down sharply since 2023, which leaves time to have older trees checked with a risk assessment and thinned before the next ice year. Moses Lake needs no city permit; elsewhere, ask city hall. Look the company up in the Washington license lookup, and call Grant County PUD first if a line is involved.

Services: tree removal · trimming · stump grinding · emergency. Check any company: Washington license lookup.

Major storms that reached Grant County

These regional storms produced NOAA Storm Events reports in Grant County since 2016. Each storm page lists the dates, report counts and the other counties hit.

• January 2021 windstorm
• Labor Day 2020 east wind event
• May 30, 2020 thunderstorm outbreak
• January 2017 ice storm