Tree service in Pierce County, Washington

Storm records for Pierce County

Almost nothing happens here between May and August; NOAA logged zero reports in those four months across a decade. February (26), January (22) and December (19) carry the load, and 81% of the record lands between November and February. Heavy snow leads with 56 reports, followed by high wind (12), winter weather (9), strong wind (8) and ice storms (7).

Overall Pierce ranks 24th of Washington’s 39 counties with 99 reports, and the count is falling: 20 in 2023 through 2025 against 37 in the three years before. NOAA does attribute 3 deaths and 1 injury to the county’s record, a reminder that winter storms in a populated lowland carry real risk.

Plan the routine work, such as thinning, deadwood and crown cleaning, for the dry months, and have trees over roofs and driveways checked before the first ice or wet-snow event.

NWS forecast zones covering the county: Cascades of Pierce and Lewis Counties; Foothills and Valleys of Pierce and Southern King Counties; Lowlands of Pierce and Southern King Counties.

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: Relatively HighWinter weather: Relatively ModerateWildfire: Relatively Low

FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Pierce County Relatively High for ice storms, Relatively Moderate for winter weather, Relatively Low for strong wind and Relatively Low for wildfire, with a Relatively High overall rating. USDA’s Forest Service puts wildfire risk to homes at the 45th percentile among Washington counties.

For tree work that ranking says ice comes first. Freezing rain on a wide bigleaf maple or a tall fir adds weight to every limb at once, so a tree with a weak fork or decay at the base is the one to deal with in fall.

Wildfire risk to homes: higher than 45% 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 Puget Sound Clean Air Agency sets outdoor-burning rules for Pierce County under its Regulation I, Article 8, on top of state law. Residential yard-waste burning is already prohibited inside the county’s Urban Growth Areas; outside them it is currently allowed only with a valid burn permit from the local fire department. Land-clearing fires are prohibited everywhere in Pierce County, and no outdoor fire is allowed during an air-quality burn ban or some fire-safety bans. The agency is reviewing whether to prohibit residential yard-waste burning outside UGAs as well; as of the check no change had been adopted and the current rules remain in effect. Debris from a removal is usually chipped or hauled. The Washington burning guide covers the statewide baseline.

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

Source: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Outdoor Burning · Upcoming Rulemaking for Residential Yard Waste Burning. Checked 2026-10-02.

Pests and quarantines

Spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth)

Spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth) has been confirmed in Pierce County, though no quarantine applies here. Report any egg masses or caterpillars through the WA Invasives app, inspect outdoor furniture, RVs and firewood that arrive from infested areas, and agree to host a trap if the state asks. The pests page covers what to look for.

• Spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth): Report sightings (OR Invasive Species Hotline / WA Invasives app); inspect wood, outdoor furniture, RVs before moving from infested states; host a trap if asked

Source: Spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth). Checked 2026-10-02.

Power lines and utilities

Two utilities are mapped here. Tacoma Power keeps clearances on all its transmission and distribution circuits on a four-year cycle (outage line 253-502-8602); its policy does not say who handles the service drop. Peninsula Light Co. sends contracted crews for trees within 10 feet of energized primary lines and leaves trees outside that zone to the owner and a certified arborist (outage line (877) 853-1388). See tree removal near power lines before anyone climbs near a wire.

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

Cities and towns in Pierce County

Pierce has 946,288 residents (Census Vintage 2025), and Tacoma holds 229,816 of them. Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup and University Place each require a permit for some tree removals, and Bonney Lake requires one for removals generally. Edgewood, Gig Harbor, Fife, Sumner and DuPont have not been researched yet, so check with city hall there before cutting.

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 the mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners at $33.85 an hour in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area. That is a labor index, not a price; the modeled crew-hour range below adds payroll burden, equipment and overhead. Census County Business Patterns counted 297 landscaping-services establishments in Pierce County in 2023, so you should be able to get several crews to bid a planned job.

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: $33.85 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 $210 (method).

297 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Pierce 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

Pierce spans USDA hardiness zones 7a through 9a on the 2023 map, with 8b covering the most ground. The lowlands around Tacoma are mild enough for a wide range of replacements; the foothills toward the Cascades run colder. Given the ice rating, favor species with flexible wood and narrow forks, and plant in fall so roots establish during the wet season.

USDA hardiness zones 7a, 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

• Thurston County21 storm reports since 2016
• King County133 storm reports since 2016
• Lewis County78 storm reports since 2016
• Kitsap County79 storm reports since 2016
• Mason County49 storm reports since 2016

What to do next

If a tree is already down, call the utility first if a wire is involved, then use the fallen tree guide and the Washington storm damage and insurance guide. For a planned removal, read your city’s permit rule, get an assessment, then call. Look the company up in the Washington license lookup before signing.

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

Major storms that reached Pierce County

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

• November 2024 bomb cyclone
• December 2022 ice storm and windstorm
• October 2021 windstorm
• February 2021 ice storm
• January 2021 windstorm