ABC Salutes — every week we take down one dangerous tree, free of charge, for a Wake County veteran or surviving spouse.
ABC Lawn & Tree was started in 1998 by Colin Pemberton — a self-proclaimed Lawn Dog from a military family. For over two decades he said the same thing to anyone who'd listen: “I want to do something to give back to the vets.” He never had the systems to make it happen.
So his family stepped in to build them. Every week, ABC Lawn & Tree removes one hazardous tree free of charge for a Wake County veteran or surviving spouse. No catch. No upsell. No fine print. The mission Colin always wanted — finally built into the business.
We give priority to elderly, disabled, and fixed-income veterans, and to genuinely dangerous trees (over a house, leaning, dead, or split). One free service per veteran per year so we can help as many people as possible.
Tell us a little about the veteran (or yourself), what tree work is needed, and the property address. We'll reach out within 48 hours to schedule a site visit.
Standard hazard tree work and cleanup, including:
For larger jobs (multiple trees, crane work, complex removals), we'll do what we can free of charge and offer a meaningful discount on the rest.
ABC Salutes is the passion project of Colin Pemberton's daughter Ashlee Bauman and son-in-law Michael Bauman. After exiting a $10M+ landscape company they built together in 2024, Ashlee and Michael decided their next chapter would be honoring Colin's long-standing wish to give back to the veteran community — building the systems, the funding, and the outreach to make it real.
ABC Salutes is the charitable program. It selects the veterans, manages the applications, and funds the work. ABC Lawn & Tree (Colin's tree-service company) provides the labor — same crew, same standards as a paid job, free for the veteran. Together they deliver one free hazardous tree removal every week.
If you served — or you know someone who did — get in touch.
