Named for an orange, home to a lot of long-time owners

Tree Service in Satsuma, AL

Steady care for the trees around houses people keep for good.

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Debris and stump handling decided in advance

A Town Named After a Tree

Tree Service in Satsuma comes with a little history. The town was called Fig Tree Island until 1915, when it took the name of the satsuma orange. Farmers had brought that fruit to Alabama from Japan beginning in 1878. The orchards did not last: cold snaps and citrus canker hurt the trees between 1912 and 1924. Today Satsuma is a residential city of 6,749 people, and its yards hold oaks, pines and magnolias rather than citrus groves.

A town of owners

Census QuickFacts puts Satsuma's owner-occupied rate at 86.0%, and 23.1% of residents are 65 or older. Many households have been in the same house a long time, and the trees have grown with them. For older owners, the jobs that used to be a weekend project, like cutting a fallen limb or clearing the gutters under an overhanging oak, are now worth handing off. We do the climbing and hauling, and we write down what we did so the next visit can pick up where this one left off.

The creek on the east side

Gunnison Creek, a tidal tributary of Bayou Sara, forms Satsuma's eastern border, and Bayou Sara runs on to the Mobile River. Lots that slope toward the creek tend to have softer soil and more moisture-loving trees: water oak, sweetgum, red maple and bald cypress in the wetter spots. Those species respond differently to pruning and fail in different ways. Water oak is the one we watch closest. It grows fast and gives shade early, but the wood is weak and decay moves in behind old wounds.

If you still grow citrus

Some Satsuma yards still have a satsuma or kumquat tree or two, a nod to the town's name. Citrus is pruned very differently from shade trees: the goal is light, air and a reachable height, not structure for a 60-foot crown. We can prune a citrus tree while we are working on your other trees. Late winter, after the danger of a hard freeze has passed, is the usual time. If a freeze has killed a citrus tree back to the graft, the sprouts from below it will not grow the same fruit, and replacing the tree is often the better choice.

How we schedule here

Most Satsuma work is not an emergency. A typical visit might take deadwood out of a big oak, raise the limbs over the driveway, remove one declining pine and grind an old stump, all on one written quote. Call (251) 355-2051 or use the form, and tell us whether you want to be home for the walk-through. Get a free estimate

Satsuma Notes

Named for citrus. Formerly Fig Tree Island, the town was renamed in 1915 for the satsuma orange; cold weather and citrus canker damaged the area's satsuma trees between 1912 and 1924.
Creek border. Gunnison Creek, a tidal tributary of Bayou Sara, forms the city's eastern border; Bayou Sara leads to the Mobile River.
High owner occupancy. Census QuickFacts lists 6,749 residents (2020), an 86.0% owner-occupied rate, a $219,400 median home value and 23.1% of residents aged 65 or older.
Compact city. Satsuma covers 7.35 square miles of land about 13 miles north of downtown Mobile, with I-65 and U.S. 43 meeting near its northern edge.

Our Services in Satsuma, AL

Satsuma Questions

Can you prune my satsuma tree along with the oaks?

Yes. Citrus needs light, selective cuts to open the canopy and keep fruit within reach, which is a different job from shade-tree pruning. We usually do it in late winter, after the last hard freeze.

How often should a big oak near the house be pruned?

For a mature, healthy oak, a check and light pruning every three to five years is common. That pass removes deadwood and keeps limbs off the roof. A tree that has had storm damage or decay may need a closer look sooner.

My neighbor's tree drops limbs into my yard. What can I do?

Start with a friendly conversation, since most neighbors would rather fix it than argue. We can give a written quote that covers both sides of the line so the cost and the work are clear to everyone.

Is a big magnolia near the house a risk?

Southern magnolias are fairly strong, but they hold dead branches inside the crown for years and their dense leaves catch a lot of wind. A cleaning pass that removes deadwood and any limbs rubbing the roof is usually all they need. Leave the low limbs if you can; magnolias look and grow best with branches close to the ground.

What happens to the wood and leaves after the job?

We chip the brush and haul it away with the logs, and then rake and blow the work area. If you want chips for mulch beds or rounds for a fire pit, tell us and we will leave them where you ask.

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