If trees could talk, what stories Amelia Island’s majestic oaks and magnolias could tell. Diane Herman, board member of the Amelia Tree Conservancy from its earliest days, believes they can and wishes more people would listen. On an island known for its layered history and natural beauty, some of our most important storytellers are not found in museums or archives, but along streets, in backyards, and shading public spaces where the island’s trees have stood for generations.
As so often happens, tragedy brings on change. On a fateful day in recent memory, an army of earth movers and backhoes descended on the property adjacent to the roundabout where First Coast Highway meets South Fletcher Avenue on the south end. Word spread as people witnessed 28 trees, mostly oaks, being destroyed and removed. These weren’t just any trees; some predated the Revolutionary War. There was an immediate outcry.
Island resident Lyn Pannone, with the help of Margaret Kirkland, spearheaded the formation of the Amelia Tree Conservancy. The new organization developed tactics to protect Amelia Island from future carnage and maintain its critical tree canopy, including passing the first county tree ordinance for Amelia Island.
The importance of trees cannot be overstated, and the island’s commitment to protecting and preserving them is clear. Fernandina Beach is part of Tree City USA, a program of the Arbor Day Foundation. That means ordinances are in place, money is spent, and every year somebody puts a shovel in the ground on Arbor Day.
Two of the city’s most visible and famous trees are easy to spot. Growing in the middle of Ash Street is what is known as Kate’s Tree. Kate Bailey, a proper matron who had lived in her elegant Victorian house at the corner of South 7th and Ash Streets since 1895, took action when it appeared the city was going to chop down the majestic oak that grew close to her home. She let her husband’s shotgun do the talking. The tree still stands today despite being a traffic nuisance.
The second tree is known as Fred’s Tree. Urban legend contends that Winn-Dixie once owned the property on South 8th Street (later Fred’s Variety), which is now home to a Mexican restaurant and First Love Brewing. A huge oak rises out of the large parking lot. Legend has it that Winn-Dixie planned to take it down. A determined island garden club organized its members to call management every hour, urging them not to take down the oak. They prevailed. Many islanders remember the Snowy Owls (rare for Amelia Island), which nested there each spring.
The Heritage Tree Program, established in 2006, is vital to protecting city’s distinctive tree canopy. The city’s website describes a heritage tree as “any native tree designated as irreplaceable by the city, due to its size, age, historic, aesthetic, or cultural significance.”
Rebecca Raymond, board member of the Conservancy, says there are 84 identified Heritage Trees. Twelve trees were added on April 21 this year. Once designated as a Heritage Tree, an identification marker is attached to the tree with a QR code, which provides more information about the program. There is hope that the county will soon follow the city’s example.
Not every large tree qualifies. To be considered for designation, a tree must be a native species, such as live oak, southern magnolia, or red cedar; be at least 36 inches in diameter at breast height (DBH); and be recognized for its age, size, historical, cultural, or aesthetic significance. Any citizen, property owner, or official of the city may nominate a tree to be designated as a heritage tree.
Nomination forms can be found on the City of Fernandina Beach’s website at www.fbfl.us. Designation as a Heritage Tree brings recognition, but also protection. These trees are considered irreplaceable, and their removal is tightly regulated under the city’s tree ordinance.
“Trees are critical to Amelia Island for both environmental and economic reasons,” shares Lyn Pannone, chairperson of the Amelia Tree Conservancy. “They provide oxygen, ease flooding by absorbing runoff water, and provide much-needed shade, especially during our warmer months. Just imagine the island without our trees. Their beauty alone makes them worth preserving.”
If trees could talk, perhaps they would remind us that they were here long before us – and if we are careful – will be here long after. Many thanks to the City of Fernandina Beach and the Amelia Tree Conservancy, the guardians of our island treasures.
For more information or to become a member, visit ameliatreeconservancy.org.