Tree service in Grays Harbor County, Washington
Tree trouble in Grays Harbor County is a winter business: 79 percent of the 53 storm reports NOAA logged here since 2016 fell between November and February, and none came from May through September.
Ranks 34 of 39 Washington counties for wind, ice, snow and storm reports.
79% of reports fall November through February.
FEMA National Risk Index rates ice storm as “Relatively High” here.
+3.3% since 2020 (Census Vintage 2025).
USDA 2023 zone covering most of the county.
Landscaping-services establishments, Census CBP 2023.
Storm records for Grays Harbor County
The calendar tells the story. December alone holds 19 of Grays Harbor County’s 53 NOAA storm reports, February 10 and January 8, and May through September have none at all. That makes the county a planned-work county for half the year and a storm-response county for the other half.
High wind leads the record with 23 reports, followed by heavy snow at 17 and winter weather at 8; ice storm, tornado, winter storm and strong wind make up the rest. Overall the county ranks 34th of 39 in Washington.
The count has fallen too: 7 reports in 2023 through 2025 against 18 in 2020 through 2022, and none so far in 2026. Schedule pruning of tall conifers near the house for late summer, before October brings the first reports of the season.
Reports by month, 2016 to 2026
| Event type | Reports |
|---|---|
| High Wind | 23 |
| Heavy Snow | 17 |
| Winter Weather | 8 |
| Ice Storm | 2 |
| Tornado | 1 |
| Winter Storm | 1 |
| Strong Wind | 1 |
The largest episode on file is February 8, 2019, when snow covered the western Washington lowlands and many zones picked up heavy totals. NOAA logged two heavy snow reports here, for the Lower Chehalis Valley and the Olympics, with no damage figure. The costlier event was the windstorm of November 13, 2017: a strong Pacific system sent gusts up to 70 mph across western Washington, blew down trees and cut power to as many as 200,000 customers region-wide. NOAA’s damage figure for the county from that storm is $230,000.
NWS forecast zones covering the county: Foothills of the Western and Southern Olympic Peninsula; Grays Harbor County Coast; Lower Chehalis River Valley; Middle Chehalis River Valley; Olympics; Willapa and Black Hills.
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: Very LowIce storm: Relatively HighWinter weather: Relatively LowWildfire: Very Low
FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Grays Harbor County Relatively High overall and Relatively High for ice storm, with a score of 87.6. Winter weather is Relatively Low, and strong wind and wildfire are both Very Low. Ice is the one to plan for: a glaze adds weight across a whole crown at once, and tall conifers close to a house are the ones to look at first.
Wildfire risk to homes is above only 5 percent of Washington counties, so fire spacing ranks well behind storm pruning and removing dead or leaning trees before December.
Wildfire risk to homes: higher than 5% 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
Outdoor burning here is regulated by the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency. Outside Thurston County, ORCAA asks for a free notification for residential yard-waste fires, and only dry natural vegetation may be burned. Land-clearing burns need a paid permit from ORCAA or the local fire district. The Washington burning guide covers the state rules underneath.
Full rules, seasons and alternatives: yard debris burning rules in Washington.
Source: Olympic Region Clean Air Agency. Checked 2026-10-02.
Power lines and utilities
No electric utility is mapped for Grays Harbor County on this site yet, so there is no outage line or trimming policy to show. The utilities page lists the mapped ones. With high wind the top storm type here, keep your utility’s outage number somewhere you can reach it during a December blackout.
| Utility | Outage line | Tree trimming requests |
|---|---|---|
| Mason County PUD 3 | (360) 426-8255 | request page |
Source: utility vegetation-management pages linked above; WAC 296-24-960 (WA L&I). Checked 2026-10-02.
Cities and towns in Grays Harbor County
Aberdeen is the largest city, with 17,088 of the county’s 78,144 people, followed by Hoquiam (8,710), Ocean Shores (6,715), Montesano (4,138), Elma (3,438), Westport (2,213), McCleary (1,997) and Cosmopolis (1,638). None of their tree rules has been researched yet, so ask the city before removing a tree inside limits. Population grew 3.32 percent between 2020 and 2025.
| Place | Population | Private-tree permit rule |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | 17,088 | Ask the city |
| Hoquiam | 8,710 | Ask the city |
| Ocean Shores | 6,715 | Ask the city |
| Montesano | 4,138 | Ask the city |
| Elma | 3,438 | Ask the city |
| Westport | 2,213 | Ask the city |
| McCleary | 1,997 | Ask the city |
| Cosmopolis | 1,638 | 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 local wage estimate is published for Grays Harbor County, so the Washington statewide mean for tree trimmers and pruners, $32.20 an hour from BLS, is used. Treat it as a wage, not a price.
Census County Business Patterns counted 13 landscaping-services establishments in the county in 2023, a short list for 1,902 square miles. After a December windstorm, expect a queue.
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).
13 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Grays Harbor 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
Grays Harbor County is mostly USDA hardiness zone 8b, with 8a and 9a in parts of the county. Cold rarely limits replacement trees; wind and wet ground do. Plant a new conifer at least its mature height from the house where the lot allows, and choose species suited to soil that stays wet through winter.
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
- Mason County49 storm reports since 2016
- Pacific County119 storm reports since 2016
- Thurston County21 storm reports since 2016
- Jefferson County106 storm reports since 2016
- Wahkiakum County125 storm reports since 2016
What to do next
Get tall trees near the house checked with a risk assessment by early autumn, ahead of the November to February run. Ask your city about permits before a removal, notify ORCAA before burning the debris, and look the company up in the Washington license lookup. If a storm has already put a tree on the house, the storm damage insurance guide covers what to photograph first.
Services: tree removal · trimming · stump grinding · emergency. Check any company: Washington license lookup.
Major storms that reached Grays Harbor County
These regional storms produced NOAA Storm Events reports in Grays Harbor 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.
- Olympic Region Clean Air Agency, checked 2026-10-02.
- Mason County PUD 3 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.