On Nov. 8, 2023, Walton County Public Information office released a press release regarding the health of the live oak trees at Grady Brown Park in Freeport:
As many Walton County residents are aware, one part of the natural beauty of the county-owned Grady Brown Park is the magnificent, old oak trees within the park. However, when trying to protect the health and well being of trees, grounds and natural flora, there are always challenges. Even though the county hired an arborist when park construction was going on at this site and they did oversee the entire process, several of the oak trees are obviously ailing.
North Walton Recreation Coordinator Joseph Honish met with Ian Stone, a forester from the Walton County Extension Office, to discuss possible solutions. Stone said there are multiple reasons why some of the trees are failing. He noted that the tree issues at Grady Brown Park are the result of many years of wind and storm damage, saltwater intrusion from hurricanes, timber diseases, construction compaction, and even drainage issues.
“Some of these trees have been in bad health for many years,” said Stone. Stone indicated that the best solution moving forward is to remove six to eight of the trees that are beyond saving and use a combination of air tillage around struggling tree roots and supplemental nutrients to trees and root systems – along with pruning – to save as many trees as possible.
The county should continue to reduce irrigation for possible drainage issues around some of the trees, which has already been done at this park. Stone said that when replacing trees, perhaps it would be wise to use a different type of tree, such as a Pond Cypress which can thrive in wet conditions.
Honish said that another idea is to leave a good portion of the trunks of the trees that do have to be removed and have a local woodcarver artist come in and do carvings on them.
Over the past few months, Parks and Recreation Director Shane Supple has been working with other arborists and obtaining estimates on the potential costs associated with the tree project.
In fact, the county has received three separate estimates, each outlining a varying scope of required work. These cost estimates range from $35,000 to over $57,000. Director Supple and the county park team have been conducting a comprehensive review of these estimates and the final recommendation will likely be made at the next regular meeting of the Walton County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, November 13, 2023.