Consultant: Problem trees in Southport park need to be removed
Problem trees in Southport’s Franklin Square Park forced the prominent city park to close for an undetermined time beginning late last year.
In December, the Southport Board of Aldermen received a report from Bartlett Tree Experts, a tree and shrub care company that contracts with governments to provide tree service and analysis. The company provided the city with a tree survey and management plan paid for by the Downtown Southport, Inc. nonprofit.
Ultimately, the survey concluded that four trees in the park need to be removed immediately while more than 20 others need to be assessed.
Everett Jones, arborist with Bartlett Tree Experts, said the consulting company surveyed the trees in the park and indicated each tree’s risk in a management plan. The four trees that need to be removed received that indication based on their condition and the amount of decay they are experiencing, Jones said.
Some 28 trees in the park were indicated to be in good condition but in need of continued care, Jones said. Another 22 trees in the park need to be assessed further to determine their risk, Jones said.
“We can see the signs and symptoms of extensive decay within the canopies, or in the stems or canopies or root systems of the trees, and we really need to know the extent of that decay, basically to determine whether or not these trees are viable to stay or if we’re going to have to recommend different ways to mitigate people going around those trees,” Jones said. “We don’t want anybody getting hurt and that’s pretty obvious.”
Conducting that risk assessment regarding those 22 trees is part of the reason the park closed to visitors in late December.
The management plan presented to the city by Bartlett Tree Experts stressed a need for soil care in the park. The park has “very sandy” soil, Jones said, with not a lot of organic matter replenishing it. Without readily available, nutrient dense soil, Jones said, the city must take extra steps to care for those trees by adding mulch, wood chips and other organic matter.
Jones added some trees in the park – some around 150 years old – would benefit from pruning and adding supports.
At the board’s Dec. 14 meeting, the Southport Board of Aldermen approved a $15,000 expenditure to perform the work Jones said needed to be completed “ASAP” – assessing the risk of the 22 trees. That total does not include the cost to remove trees, if that is needed.
Maintaining the park’s trees would come with a price tag around $20,000 to $25,000 a year, Jones said.
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Franklin Square Park is a 3.18-acre park located at 105 E West St. in Southport. The historic park was given to the city in 1810 by North Carolina governor Benjamin Smith. At the time, the city was known as Smithville.
The park closed beginning Dec. 21, 2023, when barricades were placed at the park’s entrance and other access points. The city noted the closure is an effort to protect the public and the city and ensure “no one is hurt from falling limbs or tree liability issues.”
Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Franklin Square Park in Southport, NC could have problem trees removed
