Common Questions
Answers to the questions we hear most.
Height, condition and what sits under the tree set the price. In Columbus a tree under 30 feet usually runs $300–$700, 30 to 60 feet $700–$1,500, and over 60 feet $1,500–$3,500. An old cottonwood over a roof near Pawnee Park costs more than a dead ash beside a pivot, because every limb over the house gets roped down. Storm work is priced on-site once we see the hazard.
Most policies pay once a tree has hit something they cover: the house, a detached garage, a machine shed, a fence. Few pay to remove a dead ash or hollow cottonwood before it falls, and policies vary, so ask your agent. After a Platte County storm we give the adjuster photos, notes on the wood and a written scope with every job.
Not for a tree on your own lot; the Columbus code does not cover private trees. A street tree, anything between the property lines on either side of a street, needs a Public Works permit that the owner pulls (§ 96.05), then a replacement or a City Clerk payment (§ 96.06). Keep 8 feet clear over sidewalks and 14 over streets (§ 96.09). Our Columbus permits guide has the details.
Usually a few hours to a full day per tree. A dead ash in an open side yard that can drop whole goes fastest; a big cottonwood over the house, lowered in pieces, takes longest, and adding stump grinding can spill into a second morning. Soft river-bottom yards near the Loup may need mats or a dry spell, and a street closure adds a day for the § 96.11 notice.
Spring and summer bring thunderstorms with straight-line wind, hail and the odd tornado; winter brings ice. The December 2021 derecho put an EF-2 tornado on the edge of Columbus, an EF-1 through Platte Center and an 84 mph gust at David City. Cottonwoods, silver maples, Siberian elms, windbreak pines and dead ash suffer most. Afterward, keep clear of downed trees and lines, take photos from a safe spot, and call; storm calls go first.
Leaving it costs nothing today; grinding it pays off over the years. A stump in the mowing line dulls blades and trips people, and cottonwood or silver maple stumps sucker every spring. Sandy loam grinds easily, while buried irrigation lines and big cottonwood root plates slow us. One stump runs $100–$400 by diameter, each extra one $50–$150, and root chasing or a deep grind $75–$200 more.
Yes. Besides all of Platte County (Duncan, Platte Center, Monroe, Humphrey, Creston, Lindsay, Richland, Tarnov and Cornlea), we reach Schuyler, Leigh and Clarkson in Colfax County; Bellwood, Rising City and David City in Butler; Shelby, Osceola and Stromsburg in Polk; Genoa and Fullerton in Nance; Silver Creek in Merrick; St. Edward in Boone; and Madison. Most are under 40 minutes on US-30, US-81 or a state highway. Unsure about your road? Call.
We haul it. Wood, limbs, brush and chips leave with the crew that day unless you keep firewood. Columbus bans all burning in city limits (§ 91.18), and a fire pit may burn only dry cut wood, never brush (§ 91.15). The City's yard-waste site on South 14th Avenue takes limbs; call ahead for hours and any fee. Outside town, a burn permit from the fire chief or rural fire district comes before any pile.
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