Tree removal service can be an expensive option, costing around $200 on average for a small tree up to 15′ and as much as $4,500 for a tree as high as 120′. The final cost depends on the size of the tree and the difficulty of removing it from your yard.
It’s an expensive option one way or the other but you have choices available to reduce if not eliminate the cost in some cases.
Here are common ways you can get free tree removal service:
- Remove the tree yourself.
- Contact your local town or city council and ask if they will remove it.
- Contact your local utility if the tree is near power or water lines.
- Locate a company who will remove the tree for the wood value.
- Contact local arborists for a referral.
- Hire a tree service who will accept payment in the form of the wood.
Let’s take a closer look at each option that might help you avoid paying to have your tree removed.
Remove the tree yourself
The most obvious answer but it might not the best or possible answer. If the tree isn’t too big and if you have the tools to remove the tree yourself without causing possible damage to your house, your neighbor’s home or to yourself, it might be worth considering.
Professional tree service companies use a rule of thumb that a tree may be small enough for you to remove yourself if you don’t need a ladder to cut it down.
If it’s bigger than that or the tree is near your house and could cause serious injury or damage, your best bet is to contact an arborist (tree doctor) or tree service company to ask for advice and a price quote in case their services are required.
Contact your local town or city council and ask if they will remove it
If your tree is on government-owned property, your local town or city council may remove it for free especially if it is dying, badly damaged or otherwise a safety hazard that they could be responsible for.
Even if the tree isn’t located on government land on your property it’s at least worth a call to see if the cost is something they will cover in whole or in part.
Consider if the tree could damage a city-owned asset like a sidewalk, curb or road as it may help your case.
Contact your local utility if the tree is near power or water lines
Perhas your tree is located near power lines. Maybe the roots are so deep that they could interfere with underground water pipes. If the roots extend out to the sidewalk or other public area, they could pose a danger to the sidewalk or to people walking by.
If you have a legitimate reason to have the tree removed, it’s possible an affected local utility such as the power company or water utility might take responsibility for removing it if the tree affects them.
If the situation warrants it, your local town or city council might be willing to step in and either contact the utility company or do the work themselves.
Locate a company who will remove the tree for the wood value
Depending on where you live, a local logging company, lumber mill, hardware store, firewood business, wood chip supplier, wood recycler or other wood-related business might be interested to take the tree off your hands. Literally.
A pine, tree, maple, beech, oak or other tree can make great firewood and each might be of interest for other reasons such as furniture, flooring or other commercial options if it’s of high enough quality.
Contact local arborists for a referral
An arborist is a tree doctor who specializes in pruning, trimming, caring for and removing trees. Assuming they aren’t willing to do the job themselves, they might know someone who is.
They may otherwise be able to refer you to someone for you to follow up with who may help you either at no cost or for a fee if required.
Hire a tree service who will accept payment in the form of the wood
Other than cutting down trees, tree service companies often act as middlemen to supply commercial businesses with the wood that they cut down. This includes craftsmen, woodworkers, mills, lumber yards, firewood companies, wood chippers and more.
If you know the potential value of the tree you’re cutting down, you may have some negotiating power if you understand that the tree service can profit from the wood they take from you.
Speaking of which…
Before you arrange to have a tree removed
Before you finalize your plans to remove a tree from your property, consider and confirm the following:
Determine the tree species and specifics
Find out what type of tree you are planning on removing. Chances are it’ll be a run of the mill fir, pine, aspen or sweetgum tree or something similar. Probably not much value unfortunately.
But it’s a more valuable tree species and of good height and trunk diameter with few blemishes or knots, it can help your cause.
Measure the diameter of the tree (around the trunk at around the 3′ mark) and try to estimate the tree height relative to your house or other structure so you can speak comfortably about what you have.
But in the off chance you have something more valuable such as a very desirable higher end walnut, oak, cherry or ash tree, you might not only get the tree removed for free but may find a way to make a bit of money in the process due to the value of this wood for hardwood flooring and other commercial uses.
You’ll at least get a sense as to whether or not getting your tree removed for free is even a possibility.
Check your local laws regarding tree removal
Check with your town or city council to see if you need a permit to remove a tree. You may need to get a permit to remove a tree to ensure it’s done legally.
Some trees are protected and you may need special permission to remove it if you’re even allowed. And if your tree is big enough, they may specify that you get it professionally removed regardless.
Be careful for other legalities
The issue with removing a tree yourself or even relying on another person to do so relates to insurance and liability. Who will be responsible if there is a mistake and damage is caused to your home, your property or that of your neighbors?
If you choose to engage the services of a tree service, ensure you get the work in writing – even if you aren’t paying for it – to ensure that you have access to their insurance coverage should something go wrong.
Be reasonable
Just because you have a nice tree outside your house, doesn’t mean you’ll get it removed for free. While a rare or desirable species of tree might make it more likely you can get some value for it, a quality desirable tree needs to be a valuable species plus it needs to have a straight, vertical trunk with a large diameter.
The larger the diameter and the bigger the tree the better because it’s the heartwood that a wood mill wants. Otherwise it’s just a tree they can get elsewhere.
Summary
We didn’t discuss the option of getting an individual to remove an unwanted tree because in all likelihood you won’t find one. It’s also questionable why you would go with an individual who carries no insurance or specific skill and who could do serious damage to your house, your neighbor’s or to themselves with you personally being held liable.
If you can’t get a free tree removal, it’s possible you might get a professional, insured tree removal service to take the tree from you at a cost with perhaps a discount for the wood if there is value to them. They will turn around and sell the wood that they get from you to another commercial operation based on weight and grade of the wood.
At worst you’ll have to pay for a professional tree removal service.
And if you’d like to learn more about a particular aspect of a tree called a burl that can add to its worth, check out my article called 8 Questions About Burl Wood You Were Afraid To Ask to learn more.