Last of trees hit by storm to be replaced soon

Nearly two years after Hurricane Charley damaged 331 trees in Naples, the remaining 277 that haven’t been replaced will be replanted by the end of summer.

The Naples City Council on May 17 approved paying Vila & Son Landscape Corp. of Miami as much as $83,100 for the project, which is expected to begin in mid- to late June. Vila & Son, which also has an office in Naples, was the lowest of three bidders.

Hurricane Charley’s tropical storm-force winds damaged trees in Naples in August 2004, uprooting trees as large as 72 inches in diameter in Port Royal.

Some trees were replanted with trees received from the city’s Tree Donation Program, and memorial trees purchased by citizens also were replaced, leaving 277, according to a memo by Naples Community Services Director David Lykins.

The city’s self-insurance program covered $20,000 of the loss, his memo states, and Naples also was awarded a $63,325 Emergency Hurricane Supplemental Urban and Community Foresty Grant through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. That grant fell under legislation Congress passed on Oct. 14, 2004, which provided the U.S. Forest Service with funding for communities to mitigate the effect of recent hurricanes and other weather-related events.

But the city is experiencing delays due to the availability of trees, said Joe Boscaglia, Naples’ parks and parkways superintendent. “Because of the amount of damage, a lot of the trees lost in the city were lost to nurseries,” said Boscaglia, an arborist. “They’re hard to come by.”

The Barbados flower tree and African tulip tree aren’t available, Boscaglia said, and the Jacaranda, mahogany, and Royal Poinciana trees are among nearly 20 species that are available, but below the state’s size and grade standard.

Boscaglia said city officials are considering the younger, smaller trees, but also may substitute others, including live oak, magnolia, crepe-myrtle, and calophyllum. He said trees will be replaced citywide, in rights of way, medians and cul-de-sacs.