Arborist Reports and Tree Risk Assessments in Polk and Marion County

The short version: Written tree assessments from our ISA Certified Arborists for permits, risk and insurance. The estimate is free and in writing, and the arborist looks at it in person. Call or text (503) 551-5141. In Salem? See arborist in Salem.

When you need an arborist report

• Tree removal permits. Inside Salem, removing a significant tree (an Oregon white oak 20 inches or more in diameter, or most other trees 30 inches or more) takes a permit, and the city generally wants a report from a certified arborist on the tree’s condition.
• A tree you are worried about. A lean, a crack, mushrooms at the base, dead wood over the bedroom. A risk assessment tells you how likely it is to fail, what it would hit and what your options are.
• Insurance and storm damage. A written description of what failed and why.
• Buying or selling a home. An opinion on the big trees before you close.
• HOAs and commercial properties. Documentation for the board or the property manager before money is spent.

What is in the report

A report describes the tree (species, size, location), its health and structure, the defects we found, what the tree could hit if it failed, and a recommendation: keep it and monitor it, prune it, reduce it or remove it. Photos are included. If a city form has to be filled out, tell us which one and we will write to it.

The Tree Risk Assessment Qualification exists so that risk is judged the same systematic way every time, not by gut feel. It also means our recommendation is not automatically “take it down”. Sometimes the report is what saves the tree.

Free written estimate: call or text (503) 551-5141

Soil and tree health

If a tree is declining and nothing above ground explains it, the answer is often in the ground. We also offer soil testing, and we watch for the two pests killing ash and birch in this area: emerald ash borer and bronze birch borer.

How does the process work?

1. Call the office and tell us who is asking for the report and why: the city, an insurer, an HOA, a buyer.
2. Site visit. The arborist inspects the tree from the ground: roots and base, trunk, main limbs and crown, plus what is around it.
3. Written report with photos, findings and a recommendation.
4. The work, if any. If the report recommends pruning or removal and you want us to do it, that is a separate estimate.

What is a tree risk assessment?

It is a structured way of answering three questions: how likely is the tree, or part of it, to fail; how likely is it to hit something that matters; and how bad would that be. The answer is a risk rating and a set of options to bring the risk down, which might be pruning, cabling, moving the target, monitoring or removal. It is the method taught in the ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification.

Which trees need a permit in Salem?

Under Salem’s tree code, significant trees need a removal permit: Oregon white oaks 20 inches or more in diameter at breast height, and other trees 30 inches or more. Trees in the street right of way and along waterways have their own rules. Each city in our area is different, so check with your planning department. We work with the Salem requirements regularly.