The honest version of the pricing conversation: what the bands are, why bids spread inside them, and how Hannibal's geography sneaks into the math.
Around this county, most single-tree removals land between a few hundred dollars and the high two-thousands, with genuine monsters — the dead white oak over the garage, the bluff-lot sycamore — going beyond. Inside those bands, four levers do nearly all the work. Size, because every added ten feet is more wood, more time, and more rope. Access, because a chip truck parked at the curb and a chip truck parked two doors down are different jobs; open lots in Palmyra and Monroe City sit at the friendly end of this lever, while Hannibal's alleys, retaining walls, and stair-step yards earn their reputation here. Condition, because dead ash — and this county has plenty — can't be climbed with confidence and often needs a lift or a crane's help. Disposal, because chipping and hauling every scrap costs real labor that stacking rounds for your stove does not.

| Work | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Small tree (roughly under 30 ft) | $300 – $700 |
| Medium tree (roughly 30–60 ft) | $700 – $1,500 |
| Large tree (roughly 60–80 ft) | $1,500 – $2,800 |
| Very large, dead, or over a structure | Quoted — often $2,800+ |
| Stump grinding (per stump) | $100 – $350 |
| Storm / emergency response | Quoted — priority scheduling |
Read this page as a map, not a menu. The bands say where Marion County jobs tend to settle; your tree gets its own number, free, from someone who has looked at it. When a bid lands high in a band, the explanation is nearly always access or condition — ask, and a straight pro will walk you through it.
When two bids for the same tree sit far apart, the gap is usually explained by one of three things: one pro is pricing a crane day the other thinks unnecessary, one includes stump grinding the other left off, or one is booked solid until September and quoting accordingly. Ask each to itemize — takedown, cleanup, stump, haul — and the mystery generally evaporates. Be wary in the other direction too: the door-knock crew working storm neighborhoods for cash deposits is a story Hannibal has heard before. A written scope, proof of insurance, and a local reputation cost nothing to ask for.
Timing is the one lever you control completely. The same removal quoted in the panicked week after a derecho and quoted on a gray weekday in February are different numbers. If the tree isn't urgent, say so — flexible scheduling is the polite way to ask for the winter price. Start with the Marion County removal page for how the work itself unfolds, or skip straight to the free quote and get your own number.