Fire Cleanup and Land Restoration After a Wildfire

Right away only if they could fall on a home, road, power line or a place people use. For the rest, there’s usually time to let a tree show you whether it will live. Watch for new growth next spring, and plan to remove dead trees you want to sell within the first year, before the wood loses value.

Look at how much of the crown is killed and how much of the trunk base is deeply charred. Ponderosa pine is likely to die past about 70% crown kill or 90% deep char, Douglas-fir past about 65% crown kill, and thin-barked trees with much less. Try the tree checker on this page, or have us look.

Often, but the limits are small. Many policies pay a percentage of the dwelling limit for trees and landscaping, often capped at a few hundred dollars per tree, plus a debris removal allowance. Ask your adjuster what yours covers before work starts, and keep photos and itemized invoices.

Sometimes. SBA disaster loans, Washington state assistance, DNR cost share, conservation district programs and NRCS can help, depending on the fire and your land. Some only pay for work they approve before it starts. See the funding section above, or ask us and we’ll point you in the right direction.

Our typical prices are $300 to $500 to fell a tree and leave it, $800 to $1,200 to fell and remove a hazard tree, and $1,200 to $3,000 an acre for general cleanup, depending on terrain and how much material is down. We give a written quote after a free site visit.

No. Burned buildings need asbestos surveys and specialized contractors. We handle the land around them: trees, timber, brush, slash, erosion and replanting, and we schedule around the crews working on the house.

Often, if you move quickly. Pine can stain within a year, and most salvage value is gone by year three. Selling logs from private land in Washington usually requires a Forest Practices Application with DNR, and Idaho requires a notification before harvest. We’ll help you plan it.

Only within the rules. Small piles may be allowed under DNR rule burns when there’s no burn ban, and larger piles need a permit. Burning isn’t allowed inside cities and urban growth areas in Spokane County. Chipping or hauling avoids the rules entirely.

They can, but it isn’t a given. Douglas-fir beetles attack the spring after a fire, and pine engravers breed in fresh pine slash. Removing heavily damaged trees and timing the cutting and slash disposal keeps the risk down.

Grasses and shrubs usually do within a year. Conifers reseed only within a tree length or two of surviving seed trees, so large severe burns need planting. Order seedlings early, because nurseries can sell out after big fire years.

Cover bare ground with weed-free straw, lay wattles or logs across slopes, and keep culverts and ditches clear. Seeding helps over time but does little the first year. Protect wells and springs below burned slopes first.

Yes. We coordinate with your builder and the crews handling the structure, clear the building site and access, and come back for defensible space once the home is up.

Case by case. We always provide the written scope, photos and itemized invoices adjusters ask for, and in some cases we work with the adjuster directly. In Washington you have the right to choose your own contractor.

Yes. We work across Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Idaho Department of Lands foresters also offer post-fire visits to forest landowners.

Yes. We’ll call you back within one business day, walk the property with you and give you a written plan and quote. You’re under no obligation.

Your photos from before and after the fire, your insurance policy and claim number if you have one, any program paperwork, and a sense of which areas matter most to you. We’ll take it from there.