Foley has grown from a farm town into one of the fastest-growing places in south Baldwin, and that growth shows up in the trees we remove. New subdivisions off Highway 59 and the Foley Beach Express were cut from old farmland and pine woods, often with a few big trees saved along the property lines. Those saved trees had their roots cut and the ground packed hard around them during construction, and some start dying back a few years later. Older parts of town have big oaks and pecans planted generations ago, with limbs now well over the roof. Sitting this close to the Gulf, Foley also gets the full force of hurricanes and tropical storms that come ashore near Gulf Shores.
We do tree removal, trimming and stump grinding across Foley and the farmland around it, from single backyard trees to lots with dozens of pines. Bigger rural lots east of town often have room to drop trees whole, which keeps the price down, while the newer subdivisions usually need sectional work around fences and pools. Either way, the estimate covers cutting, cleanup and hauling. Call for a free estimate.
Trees Saved During Construction
A common Foley story: the builder kept two or three big trees when the lot was cleared, and the homeowner loved the shade. Five years later, the tree is losing leaves from the top down, dropping dead limbs and pushing out sprouts along the trunk. That's a tree whose roots were damaged when the house went in. Tree roots mostly run shallow, within about a foot of the surface, and reach out well beyond the canopy, so trenching for utilities, grading or heavy equipment parked under the canopy can kill a big share of them.
Some of these trees recover with time and a good pruning of the dead wood. Others are declining for good, and the ones that lean toward the house are worth removing before a storm does it for you. At the estimate we'll tell you honestly which kind you have. Homeowners in new neighborhoods over in Gulf Shores run into the same problem.
Storm Season in South Baldwin
Foley sits only a few miles from the beach, so it sees stronger winds than the Eastern Shore when a storm comes in from the Gulf. After a hurricane, Foley streets are lined with snapped pines and uprooted oaks, and every tree crew in the county is booked for weeks. The trees that fail are mostly the ones that already had a problem: rot, a lean, dead limbs or damaged roots.
That's why late winter and spring are the best time to deal with a questionable tree here. There's no storm-week wait, and taking a tree down on your schedule costs less than taking it off a roof. When a storm does hit, Riviera Utilities, which serves Foley, handles anything touching its lines; we handle the rest. Our emergency storm tree removal crews start with the trees on houses and driveways.
Common Questions
Yes. Clearing a residential lot or a big backyard full of pines is common work around Foley, where a lot of new homes are going up on land that was woods or farm fields. You get one price for the entire lot: we take the trees down, chip the brush and haul the wood, then grind the stumps if you're planting or building. Bring your site plan to the estimate and we'll mark which trees stay before anything gets cut.
Call Riviera Utilities, which provides electricity in Foley, and stay well away from the tree and the line until they arrive. Their crews make the line safe or cut the power. After that, we can take the tree down, clear the yard and grind the stump. If the tree damaged your house or car, get photos before any of it is moved, because your insurance company will want them.