The bill to cart off a giant osage orange tree from the County Courthouse lawn was over $9,000, County Mayor Jim Coppinger confirmed.
Equipment had to be brought in to lift the trunk of the tree onto a large flatbed truck.
It was moved to an undisclosed location to await a decision by officials on what to do with its prized wood.
County Mayor Coppinger said no decision has been made yet. He said one option is to hold a lottery to raffle off pieces of the tree to wood carvers. Another item is to have gavels, podiums and other items for the courthouse carved from some of its wood.
The county mayor said there is discussion of replacing the big tree that stood on the south lawn with another osage orange.
He said Kyle Hauth, executive director of the Orange Grove Center, has successfully transplanted several osage oranges and has offered to help place one at the courthouse.
County Mayor Coppinger said, as far as he knows, no one has yet counted the rings on the tree's trunks to determine just how old it was.