Ten feet above sea level, on the bayou that named the town

Tree Service in Bayou La Batre, AL

Trees that survive surge water often decline later. We help you sort out which ones.

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Every estimate done in person around Mobile and nearby towns
The written quote lists what is and is not included
Debris and stump handling decided in advance

Where the Water Comes Up

Tree Service in Bayou La Batre has to account for the water. The city sits about 10 feet above sea level, about 27 miles south-southwest of Mobile, and the bayou it is named for runs through the middle of town to Portersville Bay and the Mississippi Sound. When a hurricane pushes water inland, it reaches yards here first. Katrina's surge in August 2005 was reported at nearly 16 feet locally, enough to put more than 23 shrimp boats and a cargo ship on dry land. In October 2020, the gauge at Bayou La Batre measured Hurricane Zeta's water at 6.89 feet above mean higher high water.

Salt water and roots

Surge is not just a flood. It soaks the root zone with salt water, and many inland species cannot handle that. The damage often does not show right away. A tree that came through the storm looking fine can brown out the following spring or summer as the salt-damaged roots fail. Live oaks, southern red cedar and some pines and palms cope better than water oak, sweetgum and most ornamental trees. After a surge, it is often wiser to wait a season on trees that only look stressed, while removing the ones that are clearly broken or uprooted right away.

Sorting a yard after a storm

After a hurricane here, the order of work matters: 1. Trees on the house or blocking the only way out. These come first, once utility lines are safe. 2. Hangers and split trunks. Broken limbs caught in a canopy can fall at any time. 3. Uprooted or heavily leaning trees. A root plate lifted out of saturated ground will not settle back. 4. Trees that look stressed but intact. Watch them through the next growing season before deciding.

The written quote follows the same order, so the urgent work can start before the rest is decided.

Working harbor, working yards

The local chamber of commerce calls Bayou La Batre the Seafood Capital of Alabama, and the city is a shipbuilding center whose yards have built everything from fishing boats to a movie pirate ship. Some residential lots sit close to that working waterfront, with docks, boat sheds, trailers and gear in the yard. On those lots, we plan felling and rigging around equipment you cannot move, and we check with you about anything stored under the canopy.

Utilities after a storm

Alabama Power's guidance after storm restoration is clear: when its crews cut trees off the lines, getting rid of the wood is the property owner's job. That leaves many yards here with cut logs piled near the road. We can haul those along with any other storm work. Call (251) 355-2051 any time to leave your address and what happened, or send the form with photos. Get a free estimate

Bayou La Batre Facts

Low elevation. Bayou La Batre sits at about 10 feet above sea level, and its bayou reaches Portersville Bay, an arm of the Mississippi Sound, about 2 miles southwest of the city.
Katrina surge. Katrina's surge on August 29, 2005 was reported at nearly 16 feet locally and pushed more than 23 shrimp boats and the cargo ship M/V Caribbean Clipper ashore.
Zeta water level. NWS Mobile recorded a peak water level of 6.89 feet above mean higher high water at Bayou La Batre during Hurricane Zeta, with 7 to 9 feet of inundation estimated near Bayou La Batre and Coden.
Small, shrinking city. The city incorporated in 1955 and had 2,204 residents at the 2020 census, down from 2,558 in 2010, on about 7.5 square miles of land.

Our Services in Bayou La Batre, AL

Bayou La Batre Questions

My oak looked fine after the storm surge but is turning brown now. Is it dying?

It may be. Salt water in the root zone often shows up as browning weeks or months later. Some trees push out new leaves and recover, while others keep declining. If it stands where it could hit the house, have it looked at before the next storm season.

The power company cut a tree off the line and left the logs. Will they come back for them?

Usually not. Alabama Power says disposal of wood from emergency storm work is the property owner's responsibility. We can cut, load and haul those logs.

Are palms safer than oaks near the water?

Some palms, such as cabbage palms, take wind and salt well, and they rarely throw heavy limbs. But they can still snap or lose their heads in a strong storm, and dead fronds should be removed. A well-pruned live oak is also a strong coastal tree.

Should I remove trees before hurricane season to be safe?

Only the ones that are actually weak: dead, decayed, cracked, or uprooted and leaning toward something. Healthy, well-rooted trees slow the wind and hold soil. We will tell you which of your trees fall into each group.

Free Estimates in Bayou La Batre, AL

Free estimates in Bayou La Batre and Coden, before or after the storm.

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