How much does it cost to deal with there are mushrooms growing at the bottom of my tree?

The assessment is the first and most important line item, and a root-collar exam using sounding or resistance drilling costs meaningfully more than a walk-by opinion because it takes an hour and specialized tools — worth it precisely because this defect cannot be judged by eye. If the tree goes, decay at the base is itself the price driver: a compromised butt cannot be trusted as a rigging anchor and often cannot be safely climbed, which pushes the job onto a bucket truck or a crane. Stump grinding frequently runs wider and longer than quoted because the decay column extends out into the root flare.