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Tree service in Cedar Mill, Oregon

Cedar Mill is named for the cedar sawmill that ran on its creek in the 1850s, and it is still one of the most heavily wooded communities on the west side. It centers on Cornell Road and Murray Boulevard, just north of the Sunset Highway, and climbs toward Bonny Slope and the West Hills.

Call (503) 386-0199 Request an estimate

Harry Fauver, founder. Updated September 2026.

Where Cedar Mill sits.

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The trees of Cedar Mill

ZIPs 97229 and 97225. Unincorporated Washington County, with Portland mailing addresses.

Homes range from 1950s ranches on half-acre wooded lots to the recent townhomes around Timberland. What they share is tall native conifers in the yard and, for many, a creek ravine at the back.

Douglas-fir, western redcedar and bigleaf maple are the backbone here, and many are second-growth trees over a hundred years old. On the older lots they stand close to houses that were fitted in among them. They shade the roof, fill the gutters, and mostly behave. The ones that don't usually give warning: a thinning top, a new lean, a crack at a fork.

Western redcedar deserves a note. Cedars across the region have been dying back from the top after a run of hot, dry summers, and Cedar Mill's namesake tree is no exception. A cedar with a dead top rarely recovers. One that is only thin may respond to deep summer watering.

Cedar Mill Creek and its tributaries run through steep, wooded ravines. Trees hold those slopes together. Removing them, or even cutting the stumps flush, can start a bank moving, which is one reason those corridors are regulated.

What we are usually called for in Cedar Mill

Fir and cedar maintenance on wooded lots

Deadwood, hangers and roof clearance on tall conifers, plus an honest opinion on the ones that are declining. Tree trimming and maintenance.

Removing dead and dying cedars

Cedars killed by drought stress come down before the wood gets brittle. Where a group of them shares a slope, we talk about leaving the stumps and roots in place. Tree removal.

Ravine-edge trees after storms

Trees that have slid, tipped or dropped tops at the back of a lot. Access is from above, on ropes, and the wood sometimes stays in the ravine where it is allowed to. Emergency tree service.

Maple stumps that resprout

Bigleaf maple stumps send up dozens of shoots. A thorough grind takes care of most of it. Stump grinding.

Around Cedar Mill

Local landmarks, and what the trees around each one tell you about your own.

Cedar Mill Falls and the JQA Young House

The falls on Cedar Mill Creek and the 1860s house beside them mark where the mill stood. The creek corridor around them is protected, and it shows the mix of cedar, fir and maple that still fills the neighborhood's ravines.

Jordan Woods

The natural area follows the creek through the middle of Cedar Mill. Homes along its edge have the forest for a back fence, along with the regulated corridor and the root diseases that come with living next to old woods.

Cornell Road and Murray Boulevard

The crossroads at the center of Cedar Mill carries heavy traffic. Tree work beside these county roads usually needs traffic control and a right-of-way permit when a lane is affected.

Around Sunset High School

South of Cornell the lots are flatter and the streets more regular, with mature firs and a lot of planted maples and cherries from the 1960s and 1970s, now at the age where deadwood and clearance pruning pay off.

Cedar Mill on the map. Open in Google Maps

Which tree rules apply in Cedar Mill

Cedar Mill is unincorporated. Its Portland mailing address does not put it under Portland's tree code, and Beaverton's doesn't apply either.

In unincorporated Washington County

No city tree code applies here, even with a Beaverton or Portland mailing address. The county generally leaves trees on a developed home lot to the owner, with two big exceptions: mapped Significant Natural Resource areas, and the vegetated corridors along creeks and wetlands that Clean Water Services regulates. Cutting inside either can need review, even for a dead tree.

Trees along the road are generally the adjoining owner's responsibility, and a county right-of-way permit is needed when planting or removal affects traffic. Many subdivisions add a layer of their own, with covenants and common-area trees that need the homeowners association's approval. For neighbor disagreements over trees, the county points residents to free community mediation.

Specific to Cedar Mill

The creek ravines are the main thing to check. Cedar Mill Creek, Johnson Creek and their tributaries have vegetated corridors regulated by Clean Water Services, and the county maps much of the ravine land as a natural resource area. On a lot that backs onto a ravine, assume the trees on and below the slope are regulated until you have been told otherwise.

The permit checker gives a first answer in two questions, and the permit guide has the detail. We check every tree's status before a job is booked.

Tree services we offer in Cedar Mill

How a job goes

You call or send the form and tell us what the tree is doing. Phone photos help.
We walk the site and write the estimate in plain language.
Permits and the 811 utility locate are sorted out before any saw starts.
On the day, drop zones are protected and anything over a structure is roped down.
We rake, blow and haul, then walk the yard with you before we leave.

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Tree service questions from Cedar Mill

Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Cedar Mill?

For an ordinary yard tree on a developed lot, usually not, since Cedar Mill is unincorporated county. Trees in a creek corridor, a mapped natural resource area or an HOA common area are different. If your lot backs onto a ravine, check before cutting.

Why is the top of my cedar turning brown?

Western redcedars across the region have been dying back from the top after repeated hot, dry summers. A fully dead top rarely recovers. If the tree is only thinning, slow deep watering in July and August is the most useful thing you can do.

Can I clear the trees on the slope behind my house for a view?

Be careful. Those trees are usually holding the slope, and ravine land here is commonly inside a regulated corridor. Selective pruning is often possible. Clearing is rarely allowed and can start the bank moving.

Does Portland's tree code apply to my Cedar Mill address?

No. The Portland mailing address is a post office matter. Cedar Mill is in unincorporated Washington County, so Portland's permit rules for private trees don't apply here.

Do you give free estimates in Cedar Mill?

Yes. We walk the site, tell you what the tree needs, and put the scope in writing: what is cut, how it comes down, where the wood and chips go and whether the stump is included. Call (503) 386-0199 or send the form on this page.

Request an estimate

Tell us about the tree and we'll call to set up a site walk. For emergency service, skip the form and call.