Tree service in Jefferson County, Washington
Jefferson County’s storm record is not easing: NOAA logged 19 reports in 2024, the most of any year since 2016, including a mid-February episode that brought low-elevation snow to the Hood Canal area and the Olympics.
Ranks 22 of 39 Washington counties for wind, ice, snow and storm reports.
73% of reports fall November through February.
FEMA National Risk Index rates ice storm as “Relatively Moderate” here.
+3.0% since 2020 (Census Vintage 2025).
USDA 2023 zone covering most of the county.
Landscaping-services establishments, Census CBP 2023.
Storm records for Jefferson County
February 2024 put Jefferson County back on the storm map, with seven reports from a single mid-month episode described below. That year ended with 19 reports, the highest count in the county’s record, and the last three years ran slightly ahead of the three before, 30 reports against 27.
Over the whole record since 2016 NOAA has logged 106 reports, ranking the county 22nd of 39 in Washington. High wind leads with 52, then heavy snow at 27 and winter weather at 19. February is the peak month with 28, and 73 percent of reports fall between November and February; June through August have none.
That combination, frequent wind plus a steady run of snow, is hard on tall conifers with heavy crowns. Storm work here is not tapering off, so plan pruning before the season rather than cleanup after it.
Reports by month, 2016 to 2026
| Event type | Reports |
|---|---|
| High Wind | 52 |
| Heavy Snow | 27 |
| Winter Weather | 19 |
| Strong Wind | 5 |
| Winter Storm | 3 |
On February 15, 2024, NOAA logged seven reports across the Hood Canal area and the Olympics, six for winter weather and one for heavy snow. An upper-level trough moving across western Washington spread precipitation over the region, with snow reaching low elevations in places and heavier totals in the mountains. No damage figure was recorded. The county’s costliest entry is older: a year-end Pacific storm on December 30, 2020 brought breezy to locally windy conditions to the lowlands, and NOAA put its damage at $5 million.
NWS forecast zones covering the county: Foothills of the Western and Southern Olympic Peninsula; Northern Hood Canal; Northern Washington Coast; Olympics; Port Townsend Area.
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 ModerateWinter weather: Relatively ModerateWildfire: Very Low
FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Jefferson County Relatively Low overall, Relatively Moderate for both ice storm (73.5) and winter weather (81.9), and Very Low for strong wind and wildfire. The index weights snow and ice, not wind, despite 52 high wind reports, which fits the February 2024 episode.
Wildfire risk to homes is above 16 percent of Washington counties. That puts storm pruning and dead-tree removal ahead of fire spacing on most lots.
Wildfire risk to homes: higher than 16% 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
The Olympic Region Clean Air Agency regulates outdoor burning in Jefferson County. Residential yard-waste fires need only a free notification, not a permit, and may burn dry natural vegetation only. Land-clearing burns are different: they need a paid permit from ORCAA or the fire district. Port Townsend has 10,678 people, so check with the city before planning any fire inside its limits.
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
This site has not yet mapped the electric utility for Jefferson County, so there is no outage number or line-trimming policy here. See the utilities page for mapped providers. With 52 high wind reports on file, find your utility’s outage line before November, not during a blackout.
Source: utility vegetation-management pages linked above; WAC 296-24-960 (WA L&I). Checked 2026-10-02.
Cities and towns in Jefferson County
Port Townsend is the largest city in the table, with 10,678 of the county’s 33,970 people, and its tree rules have not been researched yet; call city hall before removing a tree inside limits. Most of the county lives outside city limits, where no city permit applies. Population grew 3.03 percent between 2020 and 2025.
| Place | Population | Private-tree permit rule |
|---|---|---|
| Port Townsend | 10,678 | 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
Jefferson County has no published wage estimate of its own, so BLS’s Washington mean for tree trimmers and pruners, $32.20 an hour, stands in. That is a wage, not a price; the modeled range below adds equipment and overhead.
Census County Business Patterns counted 14 landscaping-services establishments in 2023 across 1,804 square miles, so after a winter storm, waits can stretch.
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).
14 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Jefferson 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
Most of Jefferson County is USDA hardiness zone 8b, with 9a in the mildest areas. Cold rarely limits replacement trees; snow load does, given 27 heavy snow and 19 winter weather reports. Choose species with strong branch unions, and keep new conifers far enough from the roof that a snow-bent top cannot reach it.
USDA hardiness zones 8b, 9a (2023 map, by ZIP code).
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (OSU PRISM ZIP data). Checked 2026-10-02.
Nearby counties
- Clallam County72 storm reports since 2016
- Mason County49 storm reports since 2016
- Kitsap County79 storm reports since 2016
- Island County45 storm reports since 2016
- Grays Harbor County53 storm reports since 2016
What to do next
Summer is the window for planned work, since NOAA has logged nothing here in June, July or August. Get trees near the house checked with a risk assessment then, ask Port Townsend about permits if you live in the city, and notify ORCAA before burning the slash. Look the company up in the Washington license lookup; for damage already done, the emergency guide covers the first steps.
Services: tree removal · trimming · stump grinding · emergency. Check any company: Washington license lookup.
Major storms that reached Jefferson County
These regional storms produced NOAA Storm Events reports in Jefferson 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.
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.