The live oaks along Scenic 98 are older than almost everything built near them. Some of the trees shading Point Clear properties were mature when the Grand Hotel took its first guests, and a fair number have stood through Frederic, Ivan and Sally. In most of Baldwin County we are asked to take trees down. In Point Clear we are usually asked to keep one alive.
Tree & Land Services
in Point Clear, Alabama
The case for leaving it standing
Live oak earns its reputation. In research tracking tree survival across ten Gulf Coast hurricanes, live oak sits in the highest wind resistance group. In the forest it is a species with a lifespan beyond a hundred years. Part of the reason is that a live oak sheds leaves and small branches early in a storm rather than fighting the wind with a full canopy.
So when a Point Clear owner calls about a big oak, our first answer is rarely removal. It is more often reduction of a specific limb, deadwood removal or clearing the crown so wind moves through it. A tree that has stood for a century is not usually a hazard because it is old. It becomes a hazard because something specific has gone wrong with it.
What actually goes wrong with an old oak
Age does raise the risk, and it does so in a measurable way. Larger trees lose a greater share of their branches in hurricanes than small ones. The research found trees in the 40 to 79 inch diameter range shedding far more than trees under 8 inches. On a heritage oak the failure is almost never the whole tree. It is one enormous horizontal limb that has grown out further than its attachment can carry.
The things we look for on an old tree are specific. Decay fungi fruiting at the base of the trunk, which points to root problems you cannot see. Cracks, seams and swelling on the trunk. Dead stubs where limbs were torn off in an earlier storm and never cleaned up, because those are the entry points that let rot into the heartwood. Long limbs with a crack forming at the union.
Any of those is worth a look before hurricane season rather than during it. We do not charge to come out and tell you the tree is fine, and on the oaks along this stretch of shoreline that is usually the answer.
When removal is the honest answer
Sometimes there is no saving it. A trunk hollow enough that the shell can no longer hold the weight, a root plate already lifting or a tree that a storm has half taken already. On a Point Clear lot that usually means a technical removal rather than a felling, because there is a house, a wall or a neighbor’s property in every direction.
We take those down in sections from the top, lowering each piece under control. It is slower and it costs more than dropping a tree in an open field, which is the trade you make for not putting a limb through a roof. Afterward we grind the stump out and leave the ground ready for whatever comes next.
Storm response
When weather comes through we prioritize trees on structures. If a limb is on your roof or a trunk is across the drive, call 251-689-9211 rather than waiting on a form. We cover the Eastern Shore and we are ten minutes up the road in Fairhope.
One thing is worth knowing afterward. A tree that loses every leaf in a hurricane is not necessarily dead. Most will leaf out again within a few months or by the following spring. If nothing appears by early summer, recovery is unlikely.
Working around a tree we intend to keep
Half of protecting an old oak happens at ground level. Roots have to spread beyond the edge of the canopy to anchor a tree that size. On bayfront lots that root zone runs under lawn, drives and sometimes new construction. Compacting it with vehicles or cutting it for a footing damages the anchorage without touching a single branch, and trees with damaged root systems are the ones that come over in wind.
If you have work planned near a heritage oak, barricade the root zone before anything heavy moves onto the site. We can spec where the barrier should go as part of an estimate.
Talk to us about your trees
We have been caring for Eastern Shore trees since 2019, and most of the time our advice is to keep the tree. Coastal Tree & Land Services is family operated and veteran owned, licensed and insured, and estimates are free. Call 251-689-9211 or use the form below.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Yes, and it happens often on this stretch of shoreline. We do not charge for an estimate and we have no reason to sell you a removal you do not need. If the tree is sound we will say so and tell you what to watch for.
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Sometimes. A shell of sound wood can carry a lot of weight, and plenty of old oaks live for decades with a hollow center. What matters is how much sound wood is left against the load it carries, and whether the root plate is stable. That is a call we make on site rather than from a photo.
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Where a limb is worth keeping and the union is still sound, support hardware can buy it years. It is not a fix for decay and it needs checking periodically. We will tell you honestly whether a limb is a candidate or whether shortening it is the better answer.
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Our busy stretch runs March through October, so trimming booked in late winter is far easier to schedule than the same job in September. If you want an old oak looked at before a season, ask early rather than after a forecast.