A town where a falling tree took the covered bridge

Tree Service in Salem, AL

Rural Lee County, halfway between Opelika and Phenix City.

Every estimate done in person around Columbus and nearby towns
The quote spells out each tree and task
Cleanup included and described in writing

A Place That Knows What Trees Can Do

Tree Service in Salem comes with a local lesson. The Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge, the only covered bridge in Lee County, was destroyed by a tree that fell after a storm on June 4, 2005. It was rebuilt in 2007 and now stands in Opelika Municipal Park. Four years later, on February 28, 2009, an EF2 tornado tore through Salem, destroying Salem Chapel AME church, several homes and part of Wacoochee Junior High School. Most people here have seen firsthand what a falling tree can do.

The community

Salem is an unincorporated community in east-central Lee County, on U.S. 280 and 431 between Opelika and Phenix City. It was settled in 1835, opened a post office in 1839 and incorporated in 1846, becoming one of the larger towns in the area until a fire in 1854 and the Civil War emptied it out. In 1866 it lost the race for the new Lee County seat to Opelika. Today it is spread-out country: homes on large lots, pasture and woods, with Moffit's Mill and its falls on Uchee Creek nearby.

Where the Fall Line runs

Lee County straddles the Fall Line, with hillier Piedmont ground to the north and Gulf Coastal Plain to the south. Salem sits in that transition, so properties can have both heavier soils and sandier patches, hardwoods and pines. That variety is good for a landscape but means there is no single rule for which trees are risky. We look at each tree on its own.

What we look at on a Salem property

Trees that can reach the house, the drive or the road
Dead pines, especially after a dry summer
Hardwoods along Uchee Creek and other drainages with undercut banks
Limbs over outbuildings, barns and carports
Storm damage from past events that never got cleaned up

Wood, brush and burning

On rural land like Salem's, brush is often burned. The Alabama Forestry Commission does not require a permit for a fire under a quarter acre, but it says county and city laws can still restrict burning, and the burner must check. For land clearing or larger burns, contact the AFC. We can also chip and spread the brush or haul it off, and we can leave trunk wood for firewood.

Before the next storm season

Spring storms and summer thunderstorms are the usual triggers for tree damage here. A calm-weather visit to deal with dead trees and heavy limbs over the house is cheaper and safer than an emergency job with a tree on the roof.

Call (762) 240-3944 or fill out the form with your road and a few photos. Get a free estimate

Salem Facts

Covered bridge lost to a tree. The Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge, Lee County's only covered bridge, was destroyed by a fallen tree after a storm on June 4, 2005, and was rebuilt in 2007 at Opelika Municipal Park.
2009 tornado. An EF2 tornado on February 28, 2009 destroyed Salem Chapel AME church, several homes and part of Wacoochee Junior High School, with no deaths or major injuries reported.
On the highway corridor. Salem lies in east-central Lee County on U.S. 280 and 431 between Opelika and Phenix City, near Moffit's Mill and its falls on Uchee Creek.
Fall Line county. Lee County straddles the Fall Line between the Piedmont to the north and the Gulf Coastal Plain to the south.

Our Services in Salem, AL

Salem Questions

Do you work out in Salem, or only in town?

We work in Salem and the rest of rural east Lee County, along U.S. 280 and 431.

A creek-side tree on my land is leaning more. What should I do?

Have it looked at before high water or a storm. Erosion under creek-bank roots is a common reason these trees fail. Depending on what it could hit, the answer may be removal, reduction or leaving it.

Can I burn the brush from the job?

Under Alabama Forestry Commission rules, a fire under a quarter acre does not need a permit, though county rules can apply. We price the job with and without chipping so you can choose.

Are dead trees really that dangerous if they are not leaning?

Yes. Dead trees lose strength as they decay, and limbs and tops can fail without warning, even in light wind. If one can reach a building or a road, plan to remove it.

How much notice do you need before a job in Salem?

Call as early as you can. We schedule rural Lee County visits in groups, so an estimate visit usually fits into a trip we are already making. Storm damage that threatens a house or blocks a road gets planned first.

Free Estimates in Salem, AL

Free estimates in Salem and east Lee County.

Call (762) 240-3944 Free Estimate