Summerdale is a small town on Highway 59 with big lots and a lot of pine. Most of the work we do here is planned rather than urgent. That puts a question in front of homeowners that the emergency jobs never raise: when is the right time to do it. The short answer is that everything except a hazard tree is easier and cheaper in winter.
Tree Service in Summerdale, Alabama
When to book what
Our own season runs March through October, and the calls stack up when weather arrives. Working backward from that gives you a rough calendar.
| Job | Best time | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Structural trimming and thinning | Late winter into early spring | Gets the wind load down before storm season, and the structure is visible with the leaves off |
| Hazard tree removal | Any time you spot it | The risk does not wait for a convenient month, and prices are not better in August |
| Post-storm pine monitoring | The two summers after any serious blow | Storm-damaged pines can fail six months to two years later |
| Stump grinding | With the removal | One mobilization instead of two |
| Land clearing | Dry ground, typically late fall through winter | Equipment does less damage and the site recovers faster |
The one that gets ignored is the trimming line. Thinning a canopy in February is a routine appointment. The same tree in September, with a system in the Gulf, is a queue.
If you want something on the calendar, call 251-551-1087 and we will come price it.
Why trimming ahead of the season is worth it
There is a number behind this rather than just an opinion. In hurricane research on Gulf Coast trees, properly pruned trees survived at 73 percent while unpruned trees of the same species survived at 47 percent. Proper means an open, well-distributed crown, not topped.
When we trim we take out deadwood and open the interior so gusts move through rather than push. We also shorten limbs that have grown long enough to lever against the trunk. On the two-stemmed trees that are common on these lots, we are also reducing the weight either side of a union that has bark trapped in it.
Topping does the opposite. It leaves big wounds for decay fungi and grows back a crown of weakly attached shoots, which is why we will not do it.
Watching the trees after a storm
Summerdale has a lot of tall pine and pines are the species that keeps a secret. Three months after Hurricane Charley, researchers found 27 percent of the standing slash pines and 48 percent of the standing longleaf pines had died. All of them looked fine right after the storm. The failure comes from smaller roots rupturing during prolonged wind, and it can take six months to two years to show.
So the pines that came through the last blow are worth a second look this summer and the next. Yellowing needles, a thinning top or beetle activity are the signals.
Removals and stump work
On big Summerdale lots there is often room to fell a tree cleanly, which keeps the price down. Closer to the house we take it apart in sections and rope the pieces to a cleared landing. Either way we chip and haul the debris rather than leaving a pile.
Stump grinding goes below grade so the ground can be turfed, planted or fenced. We quote it with the removal because doing both on one visit costs you less than bringing equipment back.
Clearing
We clear ground for shops, barns, home sites and fence lines. Larger jobs can require a county land disturbance permit where wetlands are present or the ground floods, and clearing over an acre brings in a state stormwater permit. We check that before quoting.
Storm response
When weather does come through, our emergency crew works trees on structures first. Call 251-551-1087 rather than the form if something is on your house.
Free estimates
Book the trimming in winter and you will not be waiting behind a storm queue in September. Coastal Tree & Land Services is family operated and veteran owned, licensed and insured, running the county out of Fairhope. Call 251-551-1087 or reach us through the contact page.
