Riverside Avondale Facing Loss of Trees

The Riverside Avondale tree canopy is in trouble due mostly to the large number of mature water and laurel oaks which we will lose within the next 5-10 years. An asian proverb says, "this generation plants a tree; the next enjoys the shade". Hardwood trees do grow slowly and therefore we must act now to offset the expected loss of tree canopy.

And Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP) is doing just that with several ongoing projects. First, we are working with Greenscape, JEA, and neighborhood resident volunteers to plant trees in the neighborhood parks. In February of this year, we arranged for the planting of 4 famous and historic trees in Boone Park; donated by American Forests and designated the "Riverside Avondale Historic Tree Grove". On April 22, a group of volunteers planted 26 trees in Fishwier Park.



RAP volunteeers: front row, Flewellyn Podris, Fred Podris, Markus Theisen
back row, Tom Tubman, Early Piety, Doug Degenhardt, Joey Theisen, Katrina Theisen
not shown, Matthew Tubman.

RAP is also working on reforestation of the major streets leading into our neighborhood and are working with Greenscape to offer residents larger (3" to 4" caliper trunk) trees, delivered and planted at a low price....details soon.

Finally, we urge each of you to examine your properties trees and plant new trees if needed. The live oak is the tree which we most recommend due to its beauty, hardiness, and long life (up to 1,500 years).