Ice is the big tree hazard here
Northwest Arkansas remembers the January 2009 ice storm by its trees. The National Weather Service recorded one to two inches of ice across Washington, Madison, Benton and Carroll counties, with the heaviest icing, power outages and tree damage in those counties; the one direct injury it noted in Northwest Arkansas came when ice-coated limbs fell on a woman in Springdale. Ice turns weak branch unions, long horizontal limbs and trees with included bark into hazards. The best time to address that risk is before winter, not after.
Pruning for ice and wind
An experienced arborist working to ANSI A300 pruning standards can reduce ice and wind damage without topping the tree. Topping looks tidy for a season, then produces a dense crown of weakly attached sprouts that break more easily. Ask how the crew plans to reduce weight on long limbs, remove deadwood and correct weak unions. For large trees over a roof or driveway, ask whether cabling or bracing makes sense. NOAA lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph for Fayetteville's Drake Field, and trees on exposed ridges and hillsides take the brunt.
After a storm
On March 23, 2016, an EF2 tornado crossed Washington County and snapped or uprooted numerous trees. After any big storm, stay away from downed lines and assume any wire is live. Photograph damage for your insurer. A tree leaning onto a house or hanging in other branches is dangerous work: it should be removed by a crew with the right rigging and, often, a crane, not with a ladder and chainsaw. Ask the service how they'll lower wood without dropping it on the roof, and whether the quote includes stump grinding and haul-away.
Hillside and Ozark lots
Fayetteville sits in the Ozark Mountains, and if your property includes a wooded slope, removing trees from a slope can change how water runs off and how the soil holds. Ask the tree service whether removal could increase erosion, and whether leaving the stump in place to hold the soil is the better choice. Equipment access on a slope also drives price, so expect a quote that reflects whether a truck can reach the tree.
Signs a tree needs a look
Watch for dead branches in the upper crown, cracks in the trunk, mushrooms or conks at the base, a new lean, and roots lifting the soil on one side. Any of these on a tree that could hit the house, a driveway or a power line deserves an inspection. Trees touching utility lines are a job for the utility or a qualified line-clearance crew.
Before you hire
Ask for proof of liability and workers' compensation insurance, and call the insurer to confirm it is current. Get a written scope that names the trees, the work on each one, cleanup, and stump grinding if wanted. Be careful with door-to-door crews after a storm who ask for cash up front. A tree service worth hiring will explain what each cut is for.