The national averages
Thumbtack's "Tree Removal Cost Guide 2026," last updated March 24, 2026, gives these figures (all checked Nov 10, 2026):
- Cutting down one tree, stump left: $450 to $1,450 on average, with a full low-to-high range of $373 to $3,300 (checked Nov 10, 2026).
- Cutting down plus stump removal: $884 to $1,627 on average, with the high end at $2,199 to $2,659 (checked Nov 10, 2026).
- Stump grinding alone: about $307 to $426 overall (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Thumbtack's separate 2026 tree trimming guide, updated October 23, 2026, gives a single national average of $985 for removal and $1,072 with the stump (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Removal by trunk and canopy size
Thumbtack's removal guide breaks prices down by trunk diameter and canopy spread, using Xactware data:
| Trunk across | Crown narrower than 30 ft | Crown wider than 30 ft |
|---|---|---|
| Less than a foot | $226 to $596 | $359 to $946 |
| One to two feet | $517 to $1,364 | $808 to $2,132 |
| Two to three feet | $976 to $2,573 | $1,562 to $4,117 |
Thumbtack, Tree Removal Cost Guide 2026 (checked Nov 10, 2026). To find your row, measure around the trunk at chest height and divide by about 3.14 to get the diameter. For a sense of canopy size, NC State Extension lists water oaks at 50 to 70 feet wide when mature, pecans at 40 to 75 feet, and loblolly pines at 20 to 40 feet.
Stump grinding by stump size
| Stump across | Price range |
|---|---|
| Smaller than 1 foot | $267 up to $354 |
| 1 to 2 feet | $324 up to $443 |
| 2 to 3 feet | $355 up to $486 |
| 3 to 4 feet | $372 up to $494 |
Thumbtack, Tree Removal Cost Guide 2026 (checked Nov 10, 2026). Call 811 before grinding; see stump grinding.
Trimming by tree height
| Height of the tree | Price range |
|---|---|
| Short: 5 to 10 ft | $474 up to $848 |
| Small: 11 to 20 ft | $577 up to $993 |
| Medium: 21 to 40 ft | $768 up to $1,362 |
| Tall: past 40 ft | $1,126 up to $1,957 |
Thumbtack, 2026 Tree Trimming Cost Guide, updated October 23, 2026 (checked Nov 10, 2026). Its overall trimming average is $402 to $1,158, with a low of $186 and a high of $2,456. Trimmers charge $60 to $80 an hour, the guide says, though many work on flat rates. More in tree trimming.
Add-ons and special cases
| Item | Published figure |
|---|---|
| Emergency work | Fees "sometimes as high as $250 an hour" (Thumbtack trimming guide, checked Nov 10, 2026) |
| Log splitting | About $50 to $100 per tree (Thumbtack trimming guide, checked Nov 10, 2026) |
| Wood chipping | $50 to $100 extra (Thumbtack trimming guide, checked Nov 10, 2026) |
| Large tree lift | Delivery "sometimes around $450 alone" (Thumbtack removal guide, checked Nov 10, 2026) |
A worked example
Three pines in a fenced side yard
Take the yard in the photo above: three tall pines in a narrow strip between a brick house and a wooden fence, reachable only through a gate. Suppose each trunk is 12 to 24 inches across and each crown spreads under 30 feet.
- Removal, from Thumbtack's one-to-two-foot trunk, narrow-crown cell: $517 to $1,364 per tree, or $1,551 to $4,092 for three (checked Nov 10, 2026).
- Stump grinding at $324 to $443 each: $972 to $1,329 for three (checked Nov 10, 2026).
- Together: roughly $2,523 to $5,421 at national rates (Thumbtack, checked Nov 10, 2026).
Then the Conway factors. No bucket truck fits through a garden gate, so a climber takes each pine down in pieces, lowering anything that could hit the roof or the fence. A small walk-behind grinder handles the stumps. And under Conway's debris ordinance, the crew hauls all of it away. This is arithmetic on national figures, not a price for any real yard.
What changes a Conway price
- What's underneath. A roof, a carport, a shop, a fence or a power line below the tree means rigging and lowering pieces instead of dropping them.
- Access. Fenced backyards and narrow side yards keep trucks out and add hand labor.
- Hauling. Conway's Ordinance O-77-12 makes tree trimmers and cutters haul away their own debris, and the city won't collect brush from contracted work at the curb (checked Nov 10, 2026). Expect hauling to be part of every Conway price; leaving logs stacked for firewood can trim it.
- Dead or declining wood. The U of A says canker diseases such as hypoxylon can result in wind breakage and weaken trees. A brittle tree is slower and riskier to take apart.
- Wires. Work near a line may need the utility first; First Electric, citing state law, says to keep people and equipment at least 10 feet from energized lines (checked Nov 10, 2026).
- Rock. On upland lots, USDA soil descriptions for the region show sandstone within 12 to 40 inches in some soils, which can slow stump grinding.
- Historic-district approval. In the Robinson Historic District, a tree over 8 inches needs commission approval before removal, and the stump has to be removed or ground to grade (checked Nov 10, 2026).
- Urgency. A tree on the roof after a storm costs more than a planned job, but Arkansas's price gouging law caps price increases at 10 percent over pre-disaster prices once an emergency is declared (Attorney General, checked Nov 10, 2026).
What the written price should spell out
Two prices for "taking down the oak" can describe very different jobs. Before you agree to one, check that it names:
- Each tree. Which trees, by location, and whether each is removed or trimmed.
- The stump. Left, cut low, or ground, and whether surface roots are included. In the Robinson Historic District, grinding to grade is required.
- The wood. Chipped and hauled, hauled whole, or logs left in stove lengths. Thumbtack lists log splitting at about $50 to $100 per tree (checked Nov 10, 2026).
- The chips and cleanup. Raked out, hauled, or left as mulch.
- The utilities. Who calls 811 before grinding, and who arranges with the electric utility if a line is involved.
- Damage. What happens if a piece lands on the fence or the lawn gets rutted.
- Payment. How much is due up front and when the rest is due. The Attorney General's office advises against paying in full before the job is finished.
When homeowner insurance helps
If a tree falls on your house or another insured structure, the Insurance Information Institute said in July 2010 that standard homeowner policies cover the damage, with debris removal coverage generally in the $500 to $1,000 range. When the tree lands only on the lawn and hits nothing insured, removal generally falls outside that coverage. The Arkansas Insurance Department's Consumer Services line is 501-371-2640 (checked Nov 10, 2026). See storm and emergency removal for more.
Paying for the work
The Arkansas Attorney General's office advises homeowners not to pay in full until the work is done and never to sign a contract with blank spaces left to fill in later. If the sale started with a knock on your door, Arkansas law gives you until midnight of the third day, not counting Sundays and holidays, to cancel. The hiring guide covers what a written agreement should say.
Cost questions
Why are these national prices and not Conway prices?
Because no reliable published source of Faulkner County tree prices was found, and this site doesn't make up local numbers. Use the tables as a rough guide; the contractor's written price is what you'll actually pay.
Does the price include hauling the wood away?
Ask, and get it in writing. Inside Conway, hauling the debris is the tree crew's job under the 1977 ordinance (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Is a permit fee part of the cost in Conway?
For a private home lot outside the historic areas, this site found no city tree permit (checked Nov 10, 2026). In the Robinson Historic District, ask City Hall, 501-450-6100, about the approval process.
Is it cheaper to remove a tree before it dies?
It can be. Sound wood is easier to climb and rig, while the U of A says hypoxylon canker weakens trees and can lead to wind breakage. And if a storm brings the tree down first, Thumbtack says emergency fees can run as high as $250 an hour (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Requests sent from this site go to one independent contractor who works around Conway. That contractor sets the price.
Sources
- Thumbtack, Tree Removal Cost Guide 2026: Average Prices, updated March 24, 2026. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
- Thumbtack, 2026 Tree Trimming Cost Guide, updated Oct. 23, 2026. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
- NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: water oak, pecan, loblolly pine. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
- City of Conway, Ordinance O-77-12 and yard waste; Conway Historic District Commission, Design Guidelines. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
- U of A Division of Agriculture, FSA7557. First Electric Cooperative, working near power lines. USDA soil series: Mountainburg, Linker.
- Arkansas Attorney General, Price Gouging (checked Nov 10, 2026) and post-storm alert, April 1, 2023. Ark. Code § 4-89-107.
- Insurance Information Institute, insurance for fallen trees, July 22, 2010. Arkansas Insurance Department, Contact. Checked Nov 10, 2026.