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The developer of the Waterchase in Hillsborough County is saving more than 100 mature trees on the 600-acre property and will use them in landscaping.
By JOSH ZIMMER
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 20, 2001
KEYSTONE -- Under the usual scenario, home builders obliterate much of the landscape with little regard for majestic trees that stand in their way.
This is much different. At Waterchase, an upscale subdivision off Race Track Road, the developer is actually spending $500,000 to save trees.
An unlikely nursery has appeared on the northern edge of the 600-acre property that is in the first stages of development. Recognizing their eye appeal, Taylor Woodrow Communities is saving dozens of large oaks and laurels for replanting. The developer plans to feature the trees along the most visible areas of the 800-home community, such as the entrance and the roundabout forking off into various Waterchase neighborhoods, said project development manager Tom Spence.
Spence takes obvious pride in helping save such noble specimens, which also add to the value of the homes. As far as landscaping goes, the replanting will put Waterchase 20 years ahead of the game. "Any time you can take a tree of this size that normally is pushed over and killed, it's a thrill," he said, while watching a front loader tilt under the weight of one 40-foot specimen.
In recent days Hanley Landscape Services, the Palm Beach County company hired by Taylor Woodrow, has dug up and transported more than two dozen of the carefully tended oaks. After their bases are wrapped in cloth and wire mesh, they make the lumbering trip to their temporary resting place.
The trees range in age from 20 to 40 years, Spence said. Not surprisingly, a long-term tenant like that doesn't just pop out of the ground with a heave and a ho.
The process began three months ago, said Hanley Landscape arborist Rick Barnes.
A first pruning outlines the tree's new base, said Barnes, who is supervising the project. The new root structure is watched closely to make sure the cuttings do not kill. During that time, it is watered and fertilized according to trade secrets Barnes would not reveal. "It took me 20 years to learn how to do this," he said.
The roots are pruned a second time and, if all goes well, they can be moved, he said.
Each new arrival is gently returned to terra firma and fitted with a sprinkler. The biggest scar comes from the holes left behind when the thick metal pins used to lift the trees are removed.
The dry conditions were ideal for moving the trees, Barnes said. The oaks, lined up in towering rows, look healthy and green.
Spence expects to replant 90 oaks and 20 large laurels. In addition, the nursery is slowly filling up with another batch of 200 smaller oaks, laurels and hollys. Two hundred more trees will be shipped in to create the desired landscaping effect.
Spence anticipates a 90 percent survival rate. He expects homeowners paying as much as $700,000 for their luxury lots and homes will like the effort.
So do some county environmental officials, who often fight an uphill battle to save area trees.
"That's a good effort by a developer," said John Schrecengost, head of the county's natural resources review team.