City environmental staff told the committee that tree plantings adjacent to the North Beach Oceanside Park boardwalk are exhibiting an overall survival rate of 69 percent, and staff described an updated planting and irrigation strategy to improve survival.

Urban Forestry staff said many trees initially struggled in the harsh salty, windy environment and that earlier bids produced high per-tree costs (near $4,000) because the scope originally required hand watering and larger specimen sizes. Staff replanned the installation adjacent to the park where bubbler irrigation could be reconnected to the park’s bubbler system; with smaller, 10–12-foot juvenile trees and two years of bubbler watering and monthly contractor checks, the average installed cost per tree dropped to about $1,600.

Staff also reported that five pilot species (bay cedar, false mastic, Jamaican dogwood, Spanish stopper and white stopper) were planted the morning of the meeting and will be monitored over time. The city reached out to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection about irrigation in the dune system; DEP noted concerns about turtle nesting and suggested case-by-case review. Staff recommended seeking a two-year irrigation allowance (rather than the state’s typical one-year limit) to give natives a better chance to establish; staff said they do not recommend permanent watering because it can encourage invasive plants.

Takeaway: The city will continue replanting as a combination of species and irrigation strategies, monitor pilot specimens and coordinate with state regulators on allowable watering in dune areas; staff will report back on pilot results.