Tree service in Kittitas County, Washington

Storm records for Kittitas County

Heavy snow dominates Kittitas County’s storm record. NOAA logged 83 reports from 2016 through 2026, and 53 of them, 64%, were heavy snow; wildfire is a distant but telling second at 11. Winter storms (5) and winter weather (4) follow, with high wind at 4, ice storms 3, blizzards 2 and one tornado.

January leads the calendar with 20 reports, December has 18 and February 15, and 69% of all reports fall between November and February. Summer is not empty, though: June through September still produced 11 reports, unusual for a Washington county and a sign of the fire season on the east slopes.

The county ranks 26th of Washington’s 39, and the 14 reports for 2023 through 2025 sit a little below the 18 for 2020 through 2022. Year-to-year swings are large: 18 reports in 2017, 2 in 2023, and 5 already logged in 2026.

NWS forecast zones covering the county: Kittitas Valley; Lower Slopes of the Eastern Washington Cascades Crest; Upper Slopes of the Eastern Washington Cascades Crest.

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: Very LowWinter weather: Relatively LowWildfire: Relatively High

FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Kittitas County Relatively High for wildfire, with a score of 99.7, and Relatively Low for winter weather; strong wind and ice storm both rate Very Low. The overall rating is Relatively Moderate, and the Forest Service ranks wildfire risk to homes here above 97% of Washington counties.

That pairing sets the job. In summer, tree work is fuel work: removing dead conifers, limbing up to break ladder fuels and clearing the zone around the house described in the defensible space guide. In winter the risk shifts to snow breaking long limbs and toppling trees that already lean.

Wildfire risk to homes: higher than 97% 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

Kittitas County has no local clean air agency, so the Washington Department of Ecology’s statewide rules apply. Under WAC 173-425-040, residential and land-clearing burning is off limits in urban growth areas and in cities over 10,000, which takes in Ellensburg (21,308). Elsewhere, WAC 173-425-050 bans prohibited materials, requires someone to attend the fire and sets a 50-foot setback. In fire season, chipping is usually the simpler route.

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

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

Power lines and utilities

No utility is mapped for Kittitas County on this site yet, so the outage number and clearance rules for your address aren’t listed. Look for the utility name on your bill, then check the utilities index. With wildfire risk this high, ask your utility about vegetation clearance near its lines before fire season, and never cut a limb that touches a wire yourself; the page on tree removal near power lines explains why.

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

Cities and towns in Kittitas County

Kittitas County’s 48,803 people (Census 2025 estimate, up 4.86% since 2020) are spread over 2,297 square miles, and Ellensburg, at 21,308, holds nearly half of them. We did not find a private-tree removal permit in Ellensburg’s code; the Ellensburg page explains what that means and what to confirm with the city.

Cle Elum (2,157) and Kittitas (1,438) have not been researched yet. Call city hall before removing a tree inside either, and the county planning office before large clearing on rural land.

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 sets the mean wage for Washington tree trimmers and pruners at $32.20 an hour (May 2025), a statewide figure used here because no Kittitas-specific estimate exists. Treat it as what a climber is paid, not what a job costs; equipment, insurance, disposal and travel sit on top. Census County Business Patterns counted 29 landscaping-services establishments in the county in 2023, so on larger jobs, especially up-valley, expect to wait for a slot.

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).

29 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Kittitas 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

The 2023 USDA map puts most of Kittitas County in hardiness zone 7a, dropping to 6b in colder spots, so check your ZIP before buying stock. Replant with snow and fire in mind: species with strong, upright branching handle the heavy-snow years, and new trees in the drier parts of the county should be spaced well apart and kept away from the house. Ponderosa pine is the native large tree on the dry east slopes.

USDA hardiness zones 6b, 7a (2023 map, by ZIP code).

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

Nearby counties

• Yakima County140 storm reports since 2016
• Chelan County440 storm reports since 2016
• Grant County151 storm reports since 2016
• King County133 storm reports since 2016
• Douglas County291 storm reports since 2016

What to do next

First decide which hazard the tree poses: a dead or crowded conifer is a fire problem, a leaning or overextended one is a snow problem. A risk assessment sorts that out, and early fall, after fire danger eases and before snow, is a sensible window for the work. Ellensburg has no removal permit on record, but confirm with the city before cutting a large tree.

Before signing, run the company through the Washington license lookup and compare its bid with the modeled range on the cost page.

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

Major storms that reached Kittitas County

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

• December 2022 ice storm and windstorm
• January 2017 ice storm