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Kyle Gamoke with Fagen Trees and Chips works to cut limbs off of a tree located close to a home while working on creating defendable space at a property in Bend. 04/16/25 (Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin)

Wade Fagen, owner of Fagen Trees and Chips fells a tree while creating defendable space for homeowner, Tom Browning, right, at his property in Bend. 04/16/25 (Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin)

Kyle Gamoke with Fagen Trees and Chips cuts limbs off of a tree located close to a home while working on creating defendable space at a property in Bend. 04/16/25 (Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin)

Wade Fagen, owner of Fagen Trees and Chips uses two blowers to remove pine needles from the roof of a home as Kyle Gamoke cuts limbs off of a tree while working on creating defendable space at a property in Bend. 04/16/25 (Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin)

Workers with Fagen Trees and Chips remove hazardous dry underbrush while creating defendable space at a property in Bend. 04/16/25 (Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin)

Workers with Fagen Trees and Chips remove hazardous dry underbrush while creating defendable space at a property in Bend. 04/16/25 (Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin)

A crew with Fagen Trees and Chips removes branches from a felled tree while creating defendable space around a home in Bend. 04/16/25 (Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin)

A stump grinder is used while creating defendable space at a property in Bend. 04/16/25 (Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin)

Wade Fagen, owner of Fagen Trees and Chips removes pine needles from the gutters of a home while working on creating defendable space at a property in Bend. 04/16/25 (Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin)

Spring has been busier than normal this year for Joey Houle. His phone has been ringing off the hook and he’s been dispatched all over the Bend in response to increased calls from people wanting to reduce fire risk on their properties.

Houle, general manager for Central Oregon Tree Experts, says the work has been non-stop this spring since the city of Bend sent homeowners a letter last month requiring them to remove flammable vegetation from areas too near their homes. Homeowners who do not comply with the new vegetation code are subject to a fine.

“There has been a considerable uptick in the amount of service calls,” said Houle.

The letter sent by the city was in response to the Los Angeles wildfires that razed entire neighborhoods in January, destroying or damaging 16,000 structures. To avoid such a scenario occurring in Bend, city leaders reminded homeowners of the city’s flammable vegetation code.

The code has a number of requirements, including trimming tree limbs to be no lower than 5 feet from the ground and cutting back limbs and vegetation to be 10 feet or more from any structure or eave. Shrubs, vegetation and combustible materials cannot be within 5 feet of any structure or utility pole. For many Bend residents, the rules are too restrictive and onerous.

“We have seen a lot of folks still having a lot of questions about it. These new requirements are pretty jarring,” said Houle. “A lot of folks have trees close to the house in that 5-foot no-vegetation zone. I think that is the biggest pushback we’re seeing.”

Last week, Houle’s office fielded around 130 calls. A year ago, during the same time period, the number was closer to 45. Houle said half the calls this year are related to the letter sent by the city.

“The number of calls we’re getting now, normally we wouldn’t see that kind of call volume until May or June,” he said.

The increased demand for tree limbing services has prompted many local arborist outfits to staff up to peak summer levels three months early. But finding enough workers to do the job is challenging for some.

“We are feeling the growing pains now,” said Houle.

For customers, booking an appointment is also a challenge. Arranging a home inspection for an estimate can take days or weeks. And picking the right arborist to do the job comes with its own questions — experienced arborists warn that a lot of fly-by-night operators have come out of the woodwork to take advantage of the demand.

“Ideally (the work) is done by a professional crew that not only knows the standards, but knows the trees so that the ones that are left-standing do have a fighting chance,” Houle said.

Wade Fagen, owner of Fagen Trees & Chips, says people should be wary of scams.

“I feel like a lot of (Bend homeowners) are overreacting and there are some outrageous prices out there because of the overreaction,” said Fagen, a Bend-based arborist with more than 40 years of experience. “Be real careful who you hire and make sure they are certified arborists.”

Fagen says some arborists are taking advantage of the “hysteria” and telling people to cut down more trees and limbs than is needed. He advises customers to get a couple of quotes before agreeing to anything.

He adds that property owners who have a lot of trees on their land should spend some time learning about high risk zones to mitigate the spread of wildfire.

For example, he explains that removing pine needles trapped in sage and bitterbrush is a priority due to extreme wildfire hazard. Pine needles on the ground, on the other hand, trap moisture for soil and trees, and are much less flammable compared to needles in bushes.

Bend resident Michael Stryker, who has lived on Bend’s west side since 2018, is one of those individuals who has taken time to learn about wildfire risk and how he can minimize the potential for wildfire on his land.

Stryker knows people impacted by the fires in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, and witnessing what occurred there prompted an immediate response. By the time the letter arrived from the city, he was already taking action to clear vegetation from his property.

“We’re still in the middle of it but I’ve already removed a lot of things, bushes around the house, bushes that trap pine needles,” Stryker said. “Whether I got the letter or not I was already on my way to doing it. But I think the letter is important.”

Another west Bend resident, Tom Browning, says he was planning to clear out his yard for a backyard project but the arrival of the letter gave him pause to do some extra work to ensure the yard was compliant with city code.

Lots of bitterbrush came out as did a ponderosa that was too close to the house.

“We had that tree removed, and they went in and cleared out the rest of the bitter brush, so right now there’s virtually nothing in the backyard that is flammable,” said Browning, a Central Oregon resident of 30 years.

James Goff, code enforcement manager for the City of Bend, says no citations have been issued yet for violations related to the vegetation management code. He says the city isn’t actively looking to fine people but will take the opportunity to educate the public when needed.

“Our goal is to work with the community members and not move quickly to issue citations,” said Goff.

Since the city sent out the letter, more than a dozen Bend residents have sent in complaints about properties in their neighborhood that are out of compliance with the city code. Many reference empty lots or homes that are not occupied. One letter complained about a property owned by the city of Bend which they believe is out of compliance.

Goff adds that many more Bend residents have shown an interest in getting their property in shape ahead of the summer wildfire season.

“What we have been seeing, rather than complaints, is our community coming together with their (homeowners associations) and developing fuel reduction plans,” he said.

More information about the flammable vegetation code is available on the city of Bend website.

Michael Kohn has been public lands and environment reporter with The Bulletin since 2019. He enjoys hiking in the hills and forests near Bend with his family and exploring the state of Oregon.

He can be reached at: 541-617-7818, michael.kohn@bendbulletin.com

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