When a large tree on your property has become dangerous (maybe it's dead or diseased, its roots are threatening your underground plumbing pipes, or it has been attacked by a sudden storm and is about to topple), the cost to remove it will typically be somewhere between $424 and $1,390 or more for a tree 60' high and over.

The cost to remove your large tree depends on the following:

1. Tree height and diameter
2. Hardness of the wood
3. Accessibility
4. Hazard (more danger is involved if the tree is dead or very close to a power line or building, for example)
5. Urgency of the work (such as a tree partially uprooted by a storm, which must be removed fast before it damages property)
6. Whether you also need stump grinding service

Cost Breakdown

• Labor -- The cost to remove a large tree normally includes cutting it down to the stump, removing the branches, and chopping the trunk into manageable sections. Hauling away the trunk sections will add to the expense. You will be paying for your contractor's experience and specialized skill, as well as his professional equipment. Forget about trying to cut down good-sized trees yourself. It is just too dangerous for an amateur to risk.
• Permit -- Check with your local government and see whether you'll need a permit to cut down trees. If you do, you will need to pay a fee.

Get the Most for Your Money

Keep all the trees on your property well pruned and get rid of any dead or weak ones ASAP. That way, you'll minimize the need for costly emergency tree removal.

Check with your homeowners insurance provider to see whether tree removal is covered.

Call your city or town hall to find out who is responsible for removing a street tree, that is, a tree growing on -- or partly on -- the right-of-way.

Do you have a fireplace? Pay your contractor to cut the tree up into pieces you can burn, if the wood is healthy. It's likely to work out cheaper than buying firewood.