Prepare Your Trees for Winter Weather

News Article

Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry staff share tips and resources

(Portland, OR) -

As winter approaches, now is the perfect time to have your trees evaluated by a professional to prepare for potential weather-related hazards. Large trees provide significant environmental and community benefits, but they can also present risks during extreme weather if not properly maintained. Contact Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R)'s Urban Forestry division at (503) 823-TREE (8733) or [email protected]for all tree-related questions, concerns, and City property tree emergencies.

Why Now is the Time to Prepare
Autumn is a great time to hire a tree care professional to assess the health and safety of trees on your property before winter weather hits. Certified arborists can identify and address potential issues before it's too late. Taking preventive action now can help protect your trees and property from winter damage.

A Portland Parks & Recreation arborist wearing a helmet, protective goggles, and other safety gear, tends to a tree damaged by winter weather in downtown Portland during a recent year.

PP&R's Urban Forestry division offers an online list of local tree care providers. Listed companies meet the following qualifications:

• Completed the City's Local Tree Care Providers Workshop within the last year.
• Have a certified arborist or similarly credentialed tree professional on staff.
• No documented tree codeviolations or permitting issues in the past year.
• Have an active Portland business license.

The Value of Large Trees

During extreme weather, it's important to balance the risks with the benefits of large trees. While some trees or limbs may fall, millions of trees across Portland remain strong and provide essential services to our community. Large trees reduce neighborhood temperatures, offer wildlife habitat, improve air quality, reduce stormwater runoff, and help mitigate the effects of climate change. Large trees are vital and maintaining them is critical to keeping our community healthy and our city beautiful.

In extreme weather events, even trees that have stood for a hundred years can be affected. Since a tree's roots are not visible, at times it appears that a healthy tree has fallen when in fact, the structural integrity may have been significantly compromised. To protect your property and the trees themselves, it's best to have them evaluated before the weather changes.

Permit Requirements

Before performing any major tree work-including pruning, removal, or addressing risks-it's necessary to understand Portland's tree permit requirements. Visit our Tree Permits and Regulationspage for details on when a permit is needed.

Property Owner Responsibilities

Property owners are responsible for maintaining trees on their property and adjacent rights-of-way. For any tree-related issues on private property, including challenging maintenance and safety concerns, contact a private arborist. If a tree needs extensive pruning or removal, a permit may be required.

Emergency and Maintenance Response

PP&R Urban Forestry crews are prepared to respond to hazardous tree situations across the city caused by severe weather. To report tree emergencies on City property, including public streets and roads, call 503-823-TREE and press 1 for the fastest response. For non-emergency tree issues, email [email protected]

About Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry

The mission of PP&R's Urban Forestrydivision is to manage and care for Portland's urban forest infrastructure. Our urban forest consists of more than 220,000 street trees, 1.2 million park trees, and about 2.9 million private property trees valued at over $6 billion. Some of the services the Urban Forestry provides include creating and implementing the city's Urban Forest Plan; fostering community awareness and stewardship of trees; developing tree policies and programs; monitoring and assessing the urban forest; issuing permits for planting, pruning, and removal of public and some private trees; and responding to tree emergencies. 

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