Exercise enthusiasts along Lake Hollingsworth Drive and residents near Patten Heights Street and Hibriten Way will hear the sounds of chainsaws starting June 10 as Lakeland park workers cut down and remove two deteriorating laurel oak trees.
Traffic will not be impacted.
Why? The trees have noticeable and documented issues that could cause a hazard to those using the multiuse trail. The city arborist confirmed that the two trees need to be removed as hurricane season begins.
How long will it take? Crews will begin on Monday, June 10, and expect to finish before the weekend when the trail is used more heavily. Crews will redirect those using the Lake Hollingsworth trail. The work involves full removal and stump grinding. Once the declining trees are gone, they will be replaced with a hardier species.
The backstory: During hurricanes Irma in 2017 and Ian in 2022, more laurel oaks fell or had severe damage than any other type of tree in Lakeland. Many arborists agree that older laurel oaks tend to split and are strongly affected by storm conditions.
Expert opinion: According to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, a laurel oak “hollows with age as it approaches 50 years old…” and “the smallest trunk injury or improper pruning cut can result in columns of decay inside the trunk.” Live oak and red oak are more resistant to decay and live longer.
Some facts: Lakeland received “Tree City USA” status from the Arbor Day Foundation in 2020 for effective urban forestry management. The city boasts more than 56,000 publicly managed street and park trees. Predominant among its 300 tree species are slash pine, crape myrtle, live oak, cabbage palmetto and bald cypress.
The public trees in Lakeland provide about 590 acres of canopy, provide shade, reduce energy use, improve air quality, reduce carbon dioxide levels, mitigate stormwater runoff and increase property values.
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