Tree removal cost calculator

Tree crews price mostly by height, because height decides how the tree comes down. A small tree can be cut at the base and dropped. A big one has to be climbed and taken down in pieces, each piece lowered on a rope so it does not land on anything that matters.

We read five public cost guides and combined their height bands. For each band the low is the middle of the guides' lows, the high is the middle of their highs, and the typical price is the middle of their midpoints.

These are per tree, for a clear tree in an open yard, before stump grinding, hauling or any storm charge. Today's Homeowner reports a wider top end for trees over 60 ft, $1,500 to $3,000, which is what you see once a crane or a tight lot is part of the job.

Some companies price by the foot instead. LawnStarter and Lawn Love both put it at about $10 to $14 a foot of height, so a 50 ft tree comes to roughly $490 to $710, which sits inside the medium band above. If you know the height, the calculator runs both and shows you where they meet.

Two trees of the same height can be priced hundreds of dollars apart. These are the things a tree crew looks at before it quotes.

• What is under it. A tree that leans over the roof, a fence, a pool or power lines has to be rigged and lowered piece by piece. LawnStarter puts the extra at up to 50%. The calculator uses 0 to 50%, with 25% as the typical.
• Access. If the bucket truck or the chipper cannot get into the backyard, every piece gets carried out by hand. That is time, and time is most of the price.
• Trunk size and wood. A thick trunk takes longer to cut and weighs more to haul. Hardwoods such as oak take longer than pine.
• Condition. A dead or rotten tree can be cheaper to drop in an open yard, but harder to climb safely near a house.
• Storm damage. A tree that has fallen on a roof or is hung up in another tree is dangerous to cut. Fixr says emergency removal can cost up to two or three times more, and Today's Homeowner says $500 to $3,000 more.
• Permits. Some towns want a permit for removing large or protected trees. Fixr lists $60 to $150 and Today's Homeowner $150 to $200 where one is needed.
• Season. Today's Homeowner notes savings of up to 10% in winter, when crews are less busy.

The price for cutting a tree down often does not include the stump or taking the wood away. Ask for both by name, or you may get a lower quote that leaves a stump and a pile of logs in the yard.

Each range is the middle of the guides' lows to the middle of their highs. Grinding takes the stump down a few inches below the ground and leaves a pile of wood chips. Full removal pulls out the root ball too, which you only need if you are building or planting right where the tree stood.

Keeping the logs for firewood is a common way to cut the bill. Most crews will cut the trunk into rounds and leave them where you want.

Trimming and pruning is priced per tree. Four guides put it at $285 to $700, with $491 as the typical. Small ornamental trees sit at the low end. A big shade tree that needs a climber, or limbs cut back off a roof or away from wires, sits at the top. Thumbtack's range runs higher still, up to about $1,200, for large or hard-to-reach trees.

Trimming every three to five years usually costs less than one emergency removal after a limb comes down. Dead branches over the house, limbs touching the roof and branches near the service drop to the house are the ones worth paying for first.

A homeowner has two pines, each about 45 ft tall, close to the back of the house. They want the stumps ground (about 18 in across) and everything hauled away.

• Removal. Medium band, $442 / $614 / $885 per tree. Near the house: × 1 / 1.25 / 1.5. Two trees: $884 / $1,535 / $2,655.
• Stumps. First stump $150 / $275 / $400. The second, at 18 in, is the higher of $40 to $70 and 18 × $2 to $5, so $40 / $63 / $90. Together: $190 / $338 / $490.
• Haul-away. Two trees at $88 / $144 / $200: $176 / $288 / $400.
• Total. $1,250 to $3,545, with about $2,160 as the typical price at the US average.

In a state where landscaping wages run above the national median, the labor part of that price goes up. Enter a ZIP in the calculator to see it.

A small tree, under about 15 ft, standing well clear of the house, fences and wires, is a fair job for a careful homeowner with a chainsaw, eye and ear protection, chaps and a helper. Anything bigger, anything leaning, anything dead or storm-damaged, and anything that could reach a structure or a line if it fell the wrong way is a job for a tree crew. Felling and climbing are among the most dangerous jobs there are, and a falling trunk does not care how carefully it was notched.

When you call tree services, get at least three quotes and make them comparable:

• Ask for the same scope. Removal only, removal plus stump grinding, and removal plus haul-away are three different prices. A quote that looks cheap often leaves the stump and the wood behind.
• Ask how the tree comes down. Felled in one piece, climbed and lowered on ropes, a bucket truck or a crane. The method tells you whether they have seen the risk.
• Ask for proof of insurance. General liability and workers' compensation. If an uninsured crew drops a limb on your roof or someone gets hurt on your property, the bill can land on you.
• Ask about cleanup. Raking, blowing and repairing ruts in the lawn from the equipment.
• Ask about the permit. Whether one is needed, and who gets it.
• Look for an ISA certified arborist when the question is whether a tree can be saved, trimmed or needs to go. A good arborist sometimes tells you a tree does not need removing at all.

Use the calculator's range as your guide. A quote well below the low end usually means something is missing from the scope. A quote well above the high end should come with a clear reason, such as a crane, a tree over the house or storm damage.

If you run a tree crew, the ranges above are what your customers are reading before they call you. Your own price should come from your own costs.

• Crew hours. Estimate the hours on site for the climber, the ground crew and the operator. Multiply by what each hour really costs you, including payroll taxes and workers' comp, which is high in tree work.
• Equipment. Price the chipper, the stump grinder, the bucket truck or a crane rental by the hour or the day, even if you own them. They wear out and need replacing.
• Disposal. Dump fees for wood, or the time to sell or give away chips and logs.
• Risk. Wires, roofs and storm-damaged trees take longer and carry more risk. Charge for it plainly as a line on the quote.
• Margin. Add margin on top of all of that. Our profit margin calculator shows the price that hits the margin you want.

Then put removal, stump grinding and haul-away on separate lines, so the customer sees what each part costs and can choose. The "Save as an estimate" button above does that for you, and you can send it from Koira for the customer to sign and pay a deposit on their phone.