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Last reviewed 2026-10-17

Tree Removal Cost: Sebastian County, AR

For most Sebastian County calls the tree is an oak, and taking one out typically lands between $300 and $2,500 by HomeGuide's nationwide numbers (February 2026); a run-of-the-mill tree of any species falls in the $400 to $1,200 band. A post oak in a Fort Smith back yard with alley access lands near the middle; a big red oak leaning over a house on a Greenwood or Barling hillside costs more.

Sebastian is the busiest tree market in this corner of the Arkansas River Valley. The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey estimates 143 single-family homes permitted in the county in 2025 and 244 in 2023, far more than its rural neighbors; Scott County to the south recorded none in any of those years.

Hardwood rules here: of roughly 156,600 forested acres the Forest Service estimates for the county in its 2025 FIA evaluation, 64.1% is oak/hickory, with loblolly/shortleaf pine (12.4%) and mixed oak/pine (10.0%) trailing far behind. Rocky ridges, ice storms and a city ban on open burning do the rest.

Cost at a glance

Sebastian County tree removal cost at a glance
Item	Typical cost	Source
Oak (most common forest group here)	$300-$2,500	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Typical single tree	$400-$1,200	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Tree 60-80 ft	$850-$2,000	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Chipping	$50-$100	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Open burning inside Fort Smith	Prohibited by city ordinance	City of Fort Smith
Max fine, unlawful burning (Class A misdemeanor)	$2,500	Ark. Code §5-38-310, §5-4-201

Permits

We found no city or county permit for removing a tree from private property. Disposal is the issue. The City of Fort Smith says general open burning is prohibited by ordinance within the city, so brush from a removal has to be chipped or hauled. Recreational fire pits are allowed only if professionally built, no more than 3 feet across and 2 feet high, at least 25 feet from structures, trees and property lines, burning seasoned wood only, and never between 1:00 a.m. and noon.

The city adds that outdoor burning is prohibited after a county burn ban is issued under Sebastian County Ordinance No. 88-13, which lets the county judge ban all outdoor burning when conditions are extremely dry, or when wind speeds top 15 miles per hour. Check the Arkansas Forestry Division's burn ban map before any burn elsewhere in the county.

Arkansas law puts teeth behind those bans: under Ark. Code §5-38-310, lighting a ban-period fire without the declaring official's permit counts as unlawful burning, and so does setting brush, stumps or logs alight without steps to keep the fire from spreading. Unlawful burning is a Class A misdemeanor, and Ark. Code §5-4-201 caps the fine for that class at $2,500.

Step 1: check whether you are inside Fort Smith or another city, and whether a county burn ban is in effect. Step 2: plan chipping or haul-off if burning isn't allowed. Step 3: walk the fall zone for the house, fence, driveway and power lines, and call your electric utility if limbs touch a line. Step 4: compare written bids that list felling, stump grinding and cleanup separately. Step 5: call Arkansas 811 before grinding.

Local conditions

Stone close to the surface: the NRCS soil survey for Sebastian County finds bedrock less than about 39 inches (100 cm) down on 40.7% of mapped acres, concentrated in the ridge country south of Fort Smith around Greenwood, Hackett and Sugar Loaf Mountain by Midland, so grinding a stump flush there often means hitting rock.

Slopes: per the same NRCS survey, 41.6% of mapped acres are at 8% slope or more and 18.6% at 15% or more, so crews on hillside lots in the south county climb and rig trees rather than drop them.

Disaster history: FEMA's declarations data show 11 weather-related major disasters reaching Sebastian County between 1968 and 2019, among them four severe storm declarations, three floods, two tornado declarations and two severe ice storms (2000 and 2014); the latest was a June 2019 storms-and-flooding declaration.

Heavy hardwood: post, white and red oaks and hickories carry wide crowns that split under ice, and the Arkansas River bottoms north of Fort Smith add cottonwood near Barling and the river.

What drives local prices

Oak versus pine: HomeGuide prices oak removal at $300-$2,500 per tree and pine at $250-$1,600, and oak is the bigger share of the county's woods.
Tree size: HomeGuide puts a 30-60 ft tree at $500-$1,500 and a 60-80 ft one at $850-$2,000, which covers most mature river-valley oaks.
Disposal: no open burning in Fort Smith, so chipping ($50-$100 on HomeGuide's survey) and haul-off are in nearly every city bid.
Rock and slope: hillside lots with shallow rock add rigging and grinding time; we add an est. 15% to 30%.
Stumps and volume: HomeGuide's survey puts stump removal at $100-$500+ and says booking several trees can save 10%-25%.
Method: per-tree, height, disposal and stump ranges are HomeGuide's published national figures (Feb 4, 2026); burning rules come from the City of Fort Smith and Arkansas Code; lines marked est. are our estimate, not Sebastian County bids. Figures checked October 16, 2026.

Common jobs

Oak and hickory removal over houses
Ice storm cleanup of split limbs and trunks
Removal on rocky hillside lots in the south county
Brush chipping and haul-off where burning is banned

Service area

Requests come from Fort Smith, Barling and Lavaca along the Arkansas River, Greenwood, the county seat with Fort Smith, Hackett and Hartford in the south, and Bonanza, Central City, Huntington and Mansfield. I-49 and I-540 serve Fort Smith, US 71 runs south to Greenwood and Mansfield, US 271 heads southwest, and Highway 10 and Highway 45 cross the county.

Scott County borders Sebastian on the south, beyond Mansfield and Huntington; its page covers the Ouachita National Forest lines and burn rules there.

Want a price on your tree? Tell us on the free form below what kind of tree it is, roughly how tall, how far it stands from the house, and whether you'd like firewood rounds left behind. We answer by email with suggested next steps and, if we know some, insured crews working in the area.

Communities: Fort Smith, Greenwood, Barling, Lavaca, Hackett, Hartford, Huntington, Mansfield, Bonanza, Central City

When something can’t wait

Ice or wind dropped a limb across wires or onto the roof? Keep everyone well away and phone the power company or 911 before anyone touches it. Storm debris goes to the chipper or the dump, never a burn pile, inside Fort Smith or under a county ban. Same-day crews charge 2 to 3 times normal rates on HomeGuide's survey; photograph the damage before cleanup starts.

Questions about Sebastian County

How much does tree removal cost in Sebastian County, AR?

An average tree comes to roughly $400 to $1,200 and an oak as much as $2,500 by HomeGuide's 2026 survey; rocky hillsides and hauling brush out of the city cost extra.

Can I burn tree debris in Fort Smith?

No. The City of Fort Smith prohibits general open burning by ordinance; only small recreational fire devices burning seasoned wood are allowed, and not during a county burn ban.

What happens if I burn during a burn ban?

Arkansas treats it as unlawful burning (Ark. Code §5-38-310) unless the official who called the ban gave you a permit. Conviction is a Class A misdemeanor, and §5-4-201 allows a fine as high as $2,500.

Do I need a permit to cut down a tree?

We found no city or county permit for removing a tree on private property. Check deed restrictions or HOA rules in newer subdivisions.

Why does ice cause so much damage here?

The county is mostly oak and hickory forest (FIA), and wide hardwood crowns split under ice; FEMA declared ice storm disasters including Sebastian in 2000 and 2014.

Sources

Nearby counties

Tree problems

Local fees and rules change. Confirm with the county or state office named above before you clear. Estimate your clearing cost.