Storm and ice damaged trees in Hot Springs
Trees on roofs, cars and wires, and what the 2000 ice storms showed.
After a storm the requests change: a pine across the driveway, an oak limb through the porch roof, a tree resting on a fence or a car, or a broken limb still hanging high in the canopy. The first job is making sure nobody walks under it or near a wire.
If a tree or limb has brought down a line, stay well away and report it to the utility. Arkansas law bars people and equipment from coming within 10 feet of an energized overhead line unless it's been guarded or de-energized.
What ice did here
The National Weather Service office in Little Rock recorded two ice storms in December 2000: a major one across central and southern Arkansas on the 12th and 13th, and a second from the 25th through the 28th with up to three inches of ice, mainly in western sections. Trees heavy with ice fell on houses, causing mostly roof damage, and pulled down power lines; more than 500,000 customers lost power, some for weeks. The weather service called it the costliest natural disaster in state recorded history.
A 2002 paper by Forest Service researchers Don Bragg, Michael Shelton and Eric Heitzman says the two storms affected 40% of the state's forestland, with damage estimates in the hundreds of millions of dollars and most of the losses in loblolly pine.
What storm work costs
Angi's 2026 guide says emergency removal can reach up to $5,000, and lists removing a tree that has already fallen at $75 to $150. A crane, when one is needed to lift a tree off a roof, runs about $500 a day. Lawn Love's trimming guide adds that tree services are busy after big storms and may raise prices for a while.
- Photograph the damage before anything is moved.
- Ask the contractor to price removal, cleanup and haul-off separately.
- Inside Hot Springs, CAPS brush pickup needs 20 feet of overhead clearance, so don't stack brush under low wires or limbs. Pieces go up to 6 feet long and 18 inches across.
Before the next one
Dead limbs, cracked leaders and trees already leaning toward the house are the ones a storm finishes off. A trim or removal booked in calm weather is easier to schedule than the same job the morning after.
Where these facts come from
- NWS Little Rock, AR: Historic Snow and Ice Storms in 2000
- USDA Forest Service Treesearch: Silvicultural lessons from the December 2000 ice storms (Bragg, Shelton and Heitzman, 2002)
- Angi, updated Oct 22, 2026 by Stephanie Mickelson: How Much Does Tree Removal Cost? [2026 Data]
- Lawn Love, updated October 16, 2026 by Jude Omoregie: How Much Does Tree Trimming Cost in 2026?
- Arkansas Code ยง 11-5-308 (2025): Prohibited acts (work near overhead lines), via Justia
- City of Hot Springs: Clean, Attractive Property Service (CAPS)
Checked October 27, 2026. Ordinances, fees and phone numbers get updated; confirm with the source before you act on it.
Common questions
A tree fell on my house. Who do I call first?
If anything is on a power line, the utility. Then a tree contractor to get it off safely. This line connects you with a local tree removal contractor.
How bad were the December 2000 ice storms?
The National Weather Service in Little Rock reported up to three inches of ice in the second storm and more than 500,000 customers without power, and called it the costliest natural disaster in state recorded history.
Get storm damage looked at
Phone the number or send the form; a Garland County tree contractor will follow up to see the job and price it. There's no charge for asking.
After hours? The line takes a message. Say where the tree is, roughly how big, and what it's near.