Work to replace a privacy wall came too close to more than a dozen Australian pines and their roots. Photo provided
By Steve Plunkett
People living on State Road A1A will face a higher level of scrutiny in the future if they plan any kind of construction near Gulf Stream’s beloved Australian pines.
Workers replacing the privacy wall at 2817 N. Ocean Blvd. caused a near-disaster when they dug perilously close to more than a dozen Australian pines, prompting an emergency visit from the town arborist and a $5,250 bill to the homeowner to save the trees.
Making things worse, Assistant Town Attorney Trey Nazzaro had been assured the construction would cause no harm before the project got permission to proceed.
“I specifically asked the applicant whether or not there was enough distance between the excavation and the Australian pines and she was under oath and she said yes. So I said, ‘OK, I’m going to trust what you’re going to say’ and that ended up not being true.
“So obviously that was not enough. We need some additional review,” Nazzaro told town commissioners on Nov. 9.
In an email to the landscape architect in charge of the construction, Nazzaro bluntly expressed the town’s fears.
“In addition to the significant damage to the root system, much of the dirt from the excavation was just thrown on top of the trees, which as I understand may suffocate them over time,” he wrote.
The arborist, Jonathan Frank of Bartlett Tree Experts, gave Nazzaro a document titled “Tree Preservation Standards During Construction” that he had created for another client and recommended using “tree preservation language” relating to industry standards in any change to the town’s ordinance governing construction applications.
“He mentioned that with our water main project along A1A, the contractor working for the town implemented tree protection fencing that worked very well with a goal to keep any construction equipment and things away from the roots and trunks,” Nazzaro said.
He and Frank also talked about requiring a meeting with the arborist before any excavation if the digging would happen within 10 feet of existing Australian pines, “something that’s very innocuous and easy that gives us some leeway to sort of lean on his expertise.”
Commissioners told Nazzaro to continue working on an ordinance for them to consider at their Dec. 8 meeting.
The arborist pruned the affected pines to reduce their height by 25% to make them less susceptible to wind, pruned damaged roots and excavated the trees’ root collars. He also treated the trees with potassium phosphite when the damage was discovered in October and will return in January for a second dose.
Brian O’Neill bought the oceanfront mansion for $29 million in September 2022.
The state planted Australian pines on both sides of A1A in the early 1900s to address high winds along the highway. “The Town of Gulf Stream is the only remaining stretch where the Australian Pine Canopy still remains,” the town boasts on its website.
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