Smith Straw

Richard Smith is a Fairhope native and fourth-generation Baldwin County longleaf pine tree farmer. His company, Smith Straw, provides high-quality longleaf pine straw and landscape services to area residents and property owners in the Mobile – Baldwin County area. His company sells locally harvested, fresh longleaf pine straw from their retail location in Fairhope.  

When European settlers first arrived in the Southeastern United States, they discovered vast pine forests of southern longleaf pine. Historical accounts record the land as being essentially a large coastal plain forest. In Colonial times, the longleaf became very valuable for lumber, and pitch, tar, and turpentine produced from the trees. This is believed to be the origin of North Carolina’s moniker, “The Tar Heel State."  

The tall, stately Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) – Alabama’s state tree – takes 100 to 150 years to grow to full size and can live to be 500 years old. Old-growth virgin longleaf forests have been over-harvested to less than four percent of their original acreage. Several conservation organizations are spearheading efforts to restore longleaf pine forests throughout the southeast.

There is an ecological interconnection between the longleaf pine, the pitcher plant bogs of Splinter Hill, the water quality of the Perdido watershed, and all the way to the last little islands before the river opens onto the Gulf of Mexico.

While used for years for lumber and pulp production, the longleaf pine straw is desired by southern residential, commercial, and multifamily property owners who favor the straw from the longleaf pine as a ground cover component in landscape applications. It’s preferred by many because of its efficiency in maintaining soil moisture and preventing undesired vegetation.

Longleaf straw returns nutrients to flower beds via natural decomposition, and it is an aesthetically pleasing alternative to mulch and rock in landscapes. The straw is less prone to wash away and holds better in undulated or topographically challenged areas.  

At Smith Straw, you have the option to pick up bales or rolls of straw, have the straw delivered to your home, or have Smith Straw’s team install the straw for you. They also offer a full line of landscape design/consultation, landscape installation, landscape contracting, and land clearing services.

Richard S. Smith, President of Smith Straw, LLC
21905 Hwy 181 Fairhope, AL 36532
Open 8 am to 5 pm Monday-Saturday
251 656-4220