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City staff reports four Australian pines on Pine Tree Drive are hazards; replanting options discussed
Summary
City staff told the Historic Preservation Board June 15 that four Australian pines along Pine Tree Drive were assessed as hazardous and will need removal. Staff described a gradual transition strategy and asked the board to expect future planting proposals using non‑invasive species such as slash pine or cypress.
City of Miami Beach environmental staff gave the Historic Preservation Board an update June 15 on the long‑running effort to manage and conserve Australian pines along historic Pine Tree Drive.
Elizabeth Wheaton, director of the city’s Environment and Sustainability Department, said an assessment completed in 2020 identified four trees that now constitute a hazard and will need removal. Two are in the north median and two are on the west side of the right of way near Eighth Street, she said.
Wheaton told the board that although the city historically elected to preserve the pines (which give the road its name), Australian pines are a non‑native, invasive species and may no longer be legally plantable. The urban forestry master plan adopted in October 2020 recommends planning for a gradual transition to permitted species that recreate the corridor character while reducing invasive‑species risk.
Potential replacement species staff cited included slash pine and certain cypress varieties, but Wheaton said successful replanting will require soil remediation and pilots because earlier slash‑pine plantings have had mixed results when soils were not remediated. The city also plans to coordinate funding from reforestation programs and the geo bond to support a transition plan.
Board members asked about timing and public outreach; Wheaton said the city expects to present a public transition plan to the board within a year and will return with recommended species, planting strategy and a schedule for replanting where trees are removed.
Why it matters: Pine Tree Drive is a locally designated historic right of way; the conversation blends preservation decisions with invasive‑species policy, urban forestry science and resiliency planning.
Staff will return with a detailed transition and planting plan and will bring options for pilot plantings to the board for review.
