Tree Service on Lay Lake and Lake Logan Martin

Lake lots have their own tree problems. The biggest trees are often on the bank, leaning toward the water, over the dock, or over the house, and the ground near the shore can be soft and steep. On top of that, the strip along the water has Alabama Power rules that do not apply to an ordinary backyard.

K&M Professional Tree Service is based in Columbiana, in Shelby County, and Lay Lake and Lake Logan Martin are both part of its service area. K&M has worked across the area for over 30 years, is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and owner Kenny Malone personally oversees every job.

Tree work in Lake Logan Martin & Lay Lake

• Tree Removal: Safe removal of any tree, any size, with the yard left clean.
• Dangerous & Dead Tree Removal: Leaning, cracked, dead, or diseased trees taken down before they fall.
• Tree Trimming & Pruning: Dead limbs out, canopies shaped, branches off your roof and lines.
• Storm Damage Tree Cleanup: Downed trees, broken limbs, and storm debris cleared. Insurance claims welcome.
• Land & Lot Clearing: Trees, stumps, and brush cleared to a buildable site.
• Stump Grinding: Stumps ground below grade so you can plant, sod, or build.

Also available: 24 Hour Emergency Tree Service, Crane Tree Removal, Demolition, Grading & Excavation, Cabling & Bracing, Tree Hazard Assessment.

The two lakes

Lay Lake is the older of the two: about 12,000 acres and 289 miles of shoreline on the Coosa River along Shelby, Chilton, and Coosa Counties, created when Alabama Power built Lay Dam in 1914.

Lake Logan Martin is about 15,263 acres with 273 miles of mostly private shoreline between St. Clair and Talladega Counties, near Pell City, Lincoln, and Riverside. Its dam was finished in 1964, and Alabama Power operates it.

Alabama Power's shoreline buffer: read this before you cut

Alabama Power's residential shoreline guidelines for Lake Logan Martin (shared with Neely Henry) require a natural vegetative buffer at least 15 feet wide on Alabama Power-owned land, measured from the top of normal full pool. Inside that buffer, nothing can be done without Alabama Power's prior written authorization, and the guidelines specifically say you may not remove any tree more than 3 inches in diameter or clear shrubs taller than 4 feet. Owners can be required to restore the area at their own expense.

Lay Lake has its own shoreline guidelines. On either lake, before cutting anything near the water, check with Alabama Power Shoreline Management through apcshorelines.com or the APC Shorelines app. The Neely Henry and Logan Martin office is in Ragland at (205) 472-0481.

Trees farther up the lot, outside the buffer and away from Alabama Power land, are ordinary tree work.

Trees over the dock, the boathouse, or the house

A big tree leaning over a dock or a roof has to come down in controlled pieces, not dropped toward the water. Getting equipment to the tree can be the hardest part on a steep or narrow lake lot, which is why every lake job starts with an on-site look. See tree removal and dangerous tree removal.

Clearing a lake lot to build

Building on a wooded lake lot usually means clearing, stump grinding, and grading the building site and the drive. K&M handles land and lot clearing, stump grinding, and grading. Anything planned near the water needs Alabama Power's shoreline approval first.

What tree work costs on the lake

Published guides put a medium tree removal in the Birmingham area at about $521 to $709 (Homeyou) and a standing tree under 30 feet in Alabama at $351 to $435 (ProMatcher). Big trees over a dock or house, steep banks, and hard access push lake jobs above the averages. See the pricing guide. K&M estimates are free.