Summary: Summary: Pruning saves trees with localized problems: dead branches, minor storm damage, or clearance issues, at $200 to $760. Removal is the answer for structural failures: a trunk dead more than halfway around, severe lean with soil heaving, extensive root damage, or fungal brackets indicating internal rot. When in doubt, a certified arborist's assessment ($300 to $860 for a written report) is cheaper than guessing wrong in either direction.
Dead branches in the canopy are normal maintenance, not a death sentence: a tree can lose a third of its branches to deadwood and still be perfectly healthy underneath. Minor storm damage (a few broken limbs with clean breaks), branches rubbing a roof or power-drop line, and clearance issues over driveways and sidewalks are all pruning jobs. Typical pruning costs $200 to $760 depending on canopy size, needed every 3 to 5 years for most shade trees.
A good pruning removes the problem and leaves the tree's structure intact: no more than 25 percent of the canopy in a single year, no topping (cutting the leader), clean cuts at the branch collar. If an arborist proposes removing more than a third of a mature tree's canopy to fix it, get a second opinion: that is often a removal quote wearing a pruning disguise.
Inspect the trunk first: it is the tree's structural column. Cracks running vertically, cavities you can fit a hand into, and bark dead or missing around more than half the circumference all signal structural failure. A tree can survive impressive-looking wounds, but a trunk compromised around most of its circumference cannot support the canopy in a storm.
Then look up: a crown that is more than half dead, with bare branches where leaves should be for two consecutive growing seasons, indicates a root or vascular system in collapse. One bad year can be drought or pests; two bad years is systemic. An arborist can sometimes diagnose the cause (compacted soil, root damage, disease), but a mostly-dead crown on a mature tree is usually the end.
A slight lean that has been there for years is just how the tree grew. A lean that is getting worse, especially with soil heaving or cracking on the opposite side, means the root plate is failing: the tree is in the process of falling over, on a timeline of months to years. This is a removal, urgently if it leans toward a house, and no amount of pruning fixes a failing root plate.
Root damage is the invisible killer: construction that cut roots on one side, grade changes that buried the root flare, or soil compaction from equipment. Symptoms show up 2 to 5 years later as canopy dieback. If you know roots were cut for a driveway or addition, tell the arborist: it changes the diagnosis completely, and the tree may need removal even though the trunk looks fine.
Fungal brackets (shelf mushrooms) on the trunk or large limbs indicate internal wood rot: the fungus is digesting the tree's structure from the inside. A few small brackets high in the canopy are worth an inspection; large brackets at the base or on the trunk are a removal signal. Mushrooms clustered at the root flare suggest root rot, which is even more serious.
The mallet test is the old arborist trick: tap the trunk with a mallet and listen. Solid wood rings sharp; decayed or hollow sections sound dull and drum-like. Extensive hollowness in the lower trunk means the column is compromised. resistograph drilling can map the decay precisely, but by the time you are drilling to decide, you have usually already decided.
For a tree you care about, hire a certified arborist (ISA credential), not a tree removal company, for the diagnosis: the incentives are cleaner when the assessor is not selling the chainsaw work. A verbal assessment is often free; a written report for insurance, HOA, or neighbor disputes runs $300 to $860 and is worth every penny when liability is in play.
If removal is the verdict, the assessment doubles as your scope document: species, size, hazards, access notes, and whether the stump needs grinding. Hand it to each bidding company and the quotes become comparable. And if the verdict is prune, schedule it: the $400 pruning that saves a $15,000 mature shade tree is the best return in all of homeownership.
Data current as of October 2026. Sources: Angi and national arborist pricing data. Estimates only, not a quote. Always get multiple written quotes from insured local tree companies.