Montana referral service
What tree removal can cost in Montana
Tree work is priced by size, condition, access, disposal, and risk — not by a flat menu. The ranges below are typical planning figures, not bids. A local contractor should look at the tree before quoting.
| Work | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Small tree, open yard, easy access | Often about $300–$800 |
| Medium tree, some obstacles | Often about $800–$2,000 |
| Large or complex tree near a structure | Often about $2,000–$6,000+ |
| Storm takedown / emergency visit | Often higher than a scheduled removal of the same tree |
| Stump grinding, per stump | Often about $150–$450, more for large or multiple stumps |
Removal cost by tree size
Height is the shorthand contractors use first, so here is the same table in size terms. The bands overlap on purpose: a tree's position matters as much as its height, and the same 50-foot tree can land in two different rows depending on what stands under it.
| Tree size | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Small — under about 30 ft, open yard, room to fell or drop limbs freely | Often about $300–$800 |
| Medium — roughly 30–60 ft, some obstacles, limbs rigged or a bucket truck used | Often about $800–$2,000 |
| Large — over about 60 ft, or any size grown tight against a house, garage, or lines | Often about $2,000–$6,000+ |
| Very large or technical — crane work, a tree resting on a structure, or no safe drop zone at all | Priced case by case; can exceed the large-tree range |
Trunk diameter matters alongside height. A short, thick cottonwood can take longer to process than a tall, slim pine, and a wide crown means more brush to chip and haul. When you describe your tree in a referral request, height, trunk thickness, and what sits underneath it are the three details that most change the first conversation.
Stump grinding, in more detail
Stump grinding is usually priced per stump, commonly about $150–$450 as noted above, and diameter is the main driver — a wide cottonwood stump with surface roots running under a lawn is a different job from a narrow pine stump in open soil. Grinding several stumps in one visit usually costs less per stump than the same stumps done on separate trips, because the machine and the crew are already on site. Ask what the price covers: grinding depth, whether major surface roots are included, and whether the grindings are hauled away, left in a mound, or backfilled. Left-behind grindings settle as they decompose, so if you plan to replant or lay sod in the same spot, say so before the quote rather than after.
Montana jobs have a few local twists. Heavy wet snow in the Flathead and Missoula valleys, wind in Great Falls and along the Billings rims, and beetle-killed or drought-stressed trees in the hills around Helena and Bozeman all change how a tree comes down. A dead pine can be more brittle — and more expensive — than a live tree of the same height. Access on sloped South Hills or Uptown Butte lots can matter as much as the tree itself.
Ask what is included. Hauling brush, grinding the stump, repairing ruts, and cleaning a roof or fence after a storm takedown may or may not be in the first number you hear. For trees near service drops, the contractor may need the utility involved before they start, which can affect scheduling more than price.
Trimming and pruning costs
Not every tree needs to come down. As a general estimate — the ranges below are planning figures, not figures this site has quoted for a specific tree — routine pruning of a medium yard tree, such as removing deadwood, lifting a low crown, or clearing limbs off a roofline, often lands in the few-hundred-dollar range, roughly $250–$900 depending on size and how much of the crown is worked. Large trees, extensive deadwood high in the crown, or pruning that requires rigging over a structure can run higher, into the low thousands in the same way a medium removal does. Pruning is where the cheapest bid deserves the most suspicion: topping a tree or stripping its interior shortens its life and usually creates a bigger, more dangerous removal a few years later.
Emergency and storm work
Emergency work costs more than the same tree removed on a calm Tuesday, for plain reasons: the call is urgent, the tree is often resting on a structure or holding tension, the work may start in the dark or in continuing weather, and crews are pulled off scheduled jobs. As a general estimate, expect an emergency takedown to run noticeably above a scheduled removal of the same tree — roughly one and a half to two times the scheduled price is a common planning figure, and a tree already on a roof can exceed that. Part of the job may also be split in two: making the scene safe and getting the tree off the structure first, with full cleanup and the stump quoted separately once the emergency is over.
Hauling, chipping, and cleanup
Disposal is a real line item, not a footnote. On a large tree, the brush and wood can fill several truck loads. Some quotes include chipping brush on site and hauling everything away; others leave the wood with you — which can be a benefit if you heat with wood, and a burden if you do not. As a general estimate, hauling and disposal on a large tree can account for a few hundred dollars of the total when it is billed separately. When you compare bids, make sure each one treats the wood the same way, or you are not comparing the same job.
What changes the price
- Height, trunk diameter, and whether the tree is dead, leaning, or storm-broken.
- Distance to a house, garage, fence, or play area.
- Overhead or service-drop lines, or alley and driveway access for a chipper.
- Winter snow, frozen ground, or summer fire restrictions that affect disposal and equipment.
- How many trees are in the same visit, and whether stumps are included.
- How the tree has to come down — felled whole, climbed and rigged in sections, or lifted out with a crane. Each step up that ladder adds crew, equipment, and time.
- Which way the tree leans, and what is underneath it: a roof, a greenhouse, a fence, or a neighbor's yard all raise the care — and the cost — of every cut.
- Hidden decay. A hollow or rotten trunk changes the plan mid-job more often than any other surprise, and brittle dead trees can rule out climbing entirely.
- What happens to the wood and brush: hauled away, chipped on site, or left cut for your firewood pile.
Getting a fair comparison
If you can, take photos from the ground that show the whole tree and what sits under it. That helps a referred contractor prepare, but it is not a substitute for an on-site look. We do not bid jobs from this website.
Questions that shape the quote
When a contractor follows up on your request, expect questions like these — having answers ready speeds up the quote and makes it more accurate:
- What species is the tree, if you know it, and roughly how tall and thick is the trunk?
- Is it alive, declining, or already dead — and how long has it looked that way?
- Is it leaning, cracked, or dropping limbs? Did anything change in the last storm?
- How close is it to the house, garage, fences, and the neighbor's structures?
- Are there overhead lines, a service drop, or underground utilities near the work area?
- Can a truck and chipper reach the tree? How wide is the gate or alley, and is the ground sloped, soft, or landscaped?
- Do you want the stump ground, the wood hauled, or firewood left behind?
- Is this an emergency, or can it be scheduled? Is the tree on your property, a boundary, or a street right-of-way?
Answer honestly, including about dead or brittle wood. A contractor who prices the tree you actually have is cheaper in the end than one who priced a healthier tree and has to re-plan in your yard.
These figures are typical ranges, not a promise of what your tree will cost. Request a referral and let a local pro walk the property before you budget a number.
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