Tree Removal in Hot Springs, AR

Tree removal in Hot Springs, AR, in a few paragraphs

Hot Springs sits in the Ouachita Mountains about 55 miles southwest of Little Rock, and its 37.47 square miles of land rise over wooded ridges and fall toward the reservoirs on the Ouachita River; Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine lie just south of town. On lots shaped like that, a tall pine can stand within reach of a roof, a dock, a steep driveway or an overhead wire, so tree removal in Hot Springs, AR is often less about whether a tree can come down than about where each piece of it is allowed to land.

What the work costs

We couldn't find tree prices published for Hot Springs or Little Rock, so these figures are national. Angi's October 2026 guide puts the average cost of tree removal at $750; most homeowners pay $200 to $2,000, and tall or hazardous trees can reach $10,000. Height moves the price most: Angi lists trees up to 30 feet at $150 to $450, 30-to-60-footers at $450 to $1,200, and anything over 80 feet at $1,000 to $2,000. Grinding the stump is normally its own line on the quote, and Angi's stump guide gives $120 to $400 for most jobs. The cost page has the full tables.

Pines, ash trees and the beetles that kill them

The state's 2025 forest health report names loblolly and shortleaf as Arkansas's dominant pines. When a pine turns red, the division says it is almost certainly infested with Ips engraver beetles, which usually move in after drought. Southern pine beetle, called the most damaging forest pest in the South, hasn't been a problem in Arkansas since the mid-1990s, and the division's 18 monitoring traps caught none in 2025. Ash is the species in real trouble: emerald ash borer was confirmed in Garland County in 2017, and by 2025 the Forestry Division counted 44 of Arkansas's 75 counties. The pest guide lists the signs.

Ice, wind and a wet climate

Hot Springs averages 57.96 inches of precipitation a year. The benchmark storms came in December 2000, when the National Weather Service office in Little Rock logged two ice storms, the second with up to three inches of ice, mostly in western sections. Ice-laden trees fell on houses, more than 500,000 customers lost power, and the weather service called it the costliest natural disaster in the state's recorded history. Forest Service researchers later wrote that the storms affected 40% of Arkansas forestland, with most of the loss in loblolly pine. See storm and ice damage.

Wires overhead

Entergy Arkansas handles the tree trimming along its primary lines, the ones strung pole to pole. The line from the pole to your house is the customer's responsibility, and Entergy's advice is to hire a professional tree contractor for it; ask and it will disconnect your service at no charge while the work is done. Arkansas law also bars people, tools and machinery from getting within 10 feet of a live overhead line unless it has been guarded or de-energized, and anyone planning work closer than that must give the line operator written notice and make arrangements first. Details are in trees and power lines.

Stumps and what's buried near them

Arkansas 811 says anyone disturbing the ground must contact it first, however shallow the work, and stump grinding below grade does disturb it. The request is free (dial 811 or 1-800-482-8998), utilities are asked to mark their lines within two full working days, and a ticket stays good for 20 working days. Utilities mark only their own lines, so a sprinkler pipe, a buried yard light or anything past the meter is the owner's to point out. More on the stump page.

Street trees belong to the city

Hot Springs has held Tree City USA status since 2000. Under the city's Ordinance 4867, pruning a tree in the city right-of-way without a permit is illegal, topping right-of-way trees isn't allowed, and every removal in the right-of-way needs the Urban Forester's approval. City-owned trees are the ones between the street and the sidewalk. The Urban Forester doesn't work on private property but will give an opinion on a yard tree's condition; the office is at (501) 651-7733. See tree rules.

Getting rid of the wood

Inside the city, the Solid Waste Department's CAPS service picks up brush on Mondays and Thursdays when you call 501-321-6921 to schedule. Pieces must be cut to 6 feet or shorter and no more than 18 inches in diameter, and the truck needs 20 feet of clear space overhead. Residential customers who pay the monthly solid waste fee get their first two pickups free, up to a ton each; after that it's $20 for the first ton and $45 a ton beyond, and the brush is ground into compost. A land clearing job can outgrow two free pickups quickly, and whether a contractor's price includes haul-off varies, so ask.

When to call

The hardest time to book storm cleanup is the week after a big storm: Lawn Love's 2026 trimming guide notes that tree companies get busy after storms and may raise prices for a while. A tree that's dying but still standing is easier to schedule, and to price, before ice season.

Before the saw starts

1. Work out whose tree it is.Between the street and the sidewalk, it's probably the city's: call Urban Forestry at (501) 651-7733. In Hot Springs Village, check with the property owners' association. On a lot that backs onto national park land, ask the park before touching anything on its side.
2. Look up.Note which wires the tree touches: the primary line between poles (Entergy), the service line to the house (yours), or cable and phone lines (those companies).
3. Call 811 if the stump is coming out.It's free, and utilities get two full working days to mark.
4. Decide where the wood goes.City CAPS pickup, haul-off in the quote, or firewood. The Forestry Division asks people to burn firewood near where it was cut.
5. Get the price in writing.Including cleanup, stump grinding and haul-off, so two quotes can be compared line by line.