How to Save on Tree Care Work
Last updated November 2025
Once you are satisfied the company does good work, price becomes your primary consideration.
The figure below shows prices Consumers’ Checkbook undercover shoppers received from tree care companies for two typical tree removal jobs. Price differences are striking—from $1,650 to $4,560 for one of the jobs and from $1,787 to $3,245 for another. Be sure to obtain multiple competitive bids.
It’s easy to collect proposals. Typically, you don’t have to be home when bidders look at the job. But keep these points in mind:
We get many complaints about no shows by tree care services. Invite more companies than you actually need; then, once you have enough bids, cancel the remaining visits.
If you won’t be home, provide careful instructions about the work you need.
If the following services are not included in a written bid for tree removal or pruning, they probably aren’t included in the price: cleaning up afterward, hauling away debris, cutting wood into logs for firewood, splitting wood, stacking wood, and removing the stump.
Other points to clarify in bids for tree removal or pruning (and in the contract that follows): exact work to be done (for example, “removal of all dead, dying, and weak branches of at least one-inch diameter”); dates by which the work will begin and end; branches to be lowered or dropped; and precise responsibility for any damage caused.
Points to be covered in bids (and contracts) for spraying: type of spray and equipment to be used; pest or disease to be treated; and preparations you must make (for instance, covering lawn furniture).
Bids for fertilizing jobs should specify the type and amount of fertilizer needed and its application method.
You may be able to get a better price for pruning or removing trees if you can schedule work during the winter, when companies are less busy.
