How the ArborHub estimator works

This page is the method behind every price range on this site. It exists so a homeowner, a contractor or an AI assistant can check the number instead of trusting it. Last reviewed October 30, 2026.

What ArborHub is

ArborHub is an independent Texas project. It does not remove trees and it does not employ arborists. It takes one photo, estimates the size of the tree, prices the job against a published Texas base table, and passes homeowner requests to licensed contractors who quote the work themselves. Every number on this site is a modeled range, not a bid.

Step 1: the photo becomes a measured tree

1. An object-detection model (Grounding DINO) draws boxes around candidate trees in the photo, prompted with tree, trunk, deciduous, conifer and palm.
2. A vision model checks each box, throws out poles, fences and shadows, and assigns a species, a height band and a size category (small, medium, large, extra large).
3. The user picks which trees need work. Each selected tree keeps its own size category and confidence level.

Step 2: size category becomes a statewide base range

Each service has one base table by size. This table is the same in every Texas city; the city factor is applied after it.

Step 3: the city cost factor

Each city carries a cost factor applied to the base range. It is a regional factor for labor, disposal and travel, not a survey of invoices from that city. Two consequences follow: the ordering of cities is a model output, and the difference between two cities is the factor difference, nothing more.

What the estimate cannot see

• Root decay, hidden lean and hollow trunks. A photo shows the canopy, not the failure risk.
• Underground utilities, irrigation, septic lines and buried tanks.
• Access: gate width, slope, fence lines, overhead lines and where a truck can stand.
• Permits, heritage-tree rules and HOA or historic-district review.
• Debris hauling, stump grinding and backfill, which are separate line items on most real quotes.
• Crew availability and storm surcharge, which move fastest exactly when demand is highest.

Known failure modes

• A photo taken from the base of a tall tree under-reads height, so the range comes in low.
• Multiple trees close together can merge into one detection or split into two.
• Palm and multi-stem species confuse a size category built around single-trunk hardwoods.
• A tree photographed against a bright sky can be missed entirely.

Update cadence

The base table and the city factors are reviewed together and stamped with the review date shown on every city page. A page's date only moves when its copy or its numbers change. The raw table is published as JSON and CSV on the pricing data page, so anyone can diff one review against the next.

How to cite this

Cite the city page you took the number from, not the homepage, and carry the review date with it. Example: ArborHub, "Tree Removal Cost in Dallas, Texas", reviewed 2026-10-30, https://myarborhub.com/tree-removal-cost-dallas.

Corrections

If a local permit rule, a species fact or a range is wrong, the fix belongs on the affected city page with the review date moved forward. ArborHub has no incentive to inflate a range: the estimate is free and the contractor quotes the job.

All Texas cities and services · Pricing data · Cost guides