Beaufort OKs removal of 17 palm trees from ‘crown jewel’ of parks. Here’s the work schedule

Beaufort will begin removing diseased and damaged Washingtonia palm trees from the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park beginning this week, the city announced Monday.

Five trees will be removed from what’s known as the Circle of Palms, two from the west entrance of the park and 10 trees near the amphitheater, the city said.

The trees have been impaired by a combination of fungal infection and freeze damage and either cannot be saved or are in severe decline, according to Michael Murphy, a board-certified arborist who advises the city on tree issues.

“As the crown jewel of our public amenities, we always want Waterfront Park looking its best,” City Manager Scott Marshall said in a news release. “The current Washingtonia palms will be replaced by Sabal palms, which are indigenous to South Carolina and should flourish in our park.”

Tree removal work was scheduled to begin Monday and continue through until April 17. New trees are expected to be planted by May 1, pending the availability of the Sabal palms.

Marshall told City Council members March 28 that the trees had become diseased and would likely need to be removed, once confirmed by an arborist.

A particularly harsh cold snap in December damaged hundreds of Washingtonian palms across the region, Murphy said previously.

Washingtonia robusta, known by the common name as the Mexican fan palm, is not native to South Carolina.

The native Sabal palmetto— the popular name is “cabbage palmetto” — has appeared on the state seal since the Revolutionary War and on the state flag since 1861.