Emergency Tree Service in Salem, Oregon

The short version: if a tree is on your house, car or driveway in Salem, call us. If wires are involved, call the power company first. We make it safe, remove the tree and give you the paperwork your insurer asks for. Call or text (503) 551-5141.

What counts as a tree emergency?

• A tree or limb on a house, garage or vehicle
• A tree blocking a driveway or a street
• A large limb broken and hanging over where people walk
• A tree that has started to lean or lift the ground at its base
• Anything tangled in power lines (call the power company first)

Why Salem gets hit hard

Salem has a lot of big trees and two kinds of storm that bring them down: winter wind after long rain, when the ground is soft, and ice. The ice storm of February 2021 broke trees in nearly every neighborhood in the city. Oaks and maples lose large limbs under ice. Firs and cedars go over whole when the soil is saturated.

What we do when we get there

First we make it safe: take the weight off the structure, remove what is hanging and clear access. Getting a tree off a roof without doing more damage takes rigging and patience, and it is work our crew has done many times. Then we cut up and haul the debris. If your insurance company needs it, we provide a written estimate and photos, and an arborist report on request.

What should you do while you wait?

1. Keep people and pets away from the tree and from anything it is resting on.
2. Do not try to cut a tree that is hung up, bent or under load. Wood under tension moves fast and without warning when it is cut.
3. If the roof is open, move what you can away from the leak, but stay out from under the damaged part.
4. Photograph the damage from a safe spot before anything is moved.
5. Call your insurance company and ask what they need from the tree service.

Which Salem trees fail most in storms?

Douglas firs in saturated soil, which go over roots and all. Oregon white oaks and bigleaf maples under ice, which drop limbs the size of small trees. Cottonwoods along the creeks, which break in wind. And any tree with an old wound, a dead top or two trunks joined in a tight fork. If you have one of those over your house, having it looked at in the fall costs far less than an emergency call in January.

What does emergency tree work cost?

It depends on what the tree is resting on and how it has to be taken off. A tree across the lawn is ordinary removal. A tree on a roof takes rigging, more people and more time, because every cut changes where the weight goes. You get a written price before we start. When a tree damages a covered structure, homeowners insurance often pays for removing it, so call your insurer early.

What happens after the tree is off the house?

We cut it up and haul it away, or leave the wood if you want it. The roofer and the insurance adjuster take it from there. Then it is worth walking the rest of the property: storms that bring down one tree often leave broken, hanging limbs in the others, and those are the ones that fall on a calm day a week later.

What are your hours?

The office is open Monday to Friday, 7 am to 6 pm. For emergencies, call (503) 551-5141. More on the main storm clean-up page.