Nassau County Tree Commission outlines framework, GIS mapping for Amelia Island planting program

Adam Olsen, a planner with the Nassau County Planning Department, presented a draft tree-planting program and a GIS map of publicly owned parcels on Amelia Island at a Tree Commission meeting. Olsen said the work responds to the tree ordinance and cited the code provision that directs the commission to develop a program for BOCC consideration.

"This is pursuant to land development code section 37.02 subsection m," Olsen said, describing the commission's charge to develop planting criteria and a program that would be transmitted to the county Office of Management and Budget and the Board of County Commissioners for consideration.

The presentation showed two map layers created with the county property appraiser: parcels identified as county- and school-district-owned land, and a satellite-derived canopy layer that displays existing tree canopy in green and canopy loss in red. Olsen said the map was prepared in coordination with the property appraiser and includes BOCC-owned and school-district parcels on Amelia Island, while noting some county-owned right-of-way strips and easements may not appear on the parcel layer.

Commissioners discussed how to prioritize planting sites and proposed candidate criteria. Ideas raised included prioritizing open public sites that lack canopy or have experienced canopy loss; parks, trails and benches as high-public-benefit locations; clustering plantings to achieve greater canopy impact; and using planting to improve water quality in impaired watersheds (the commission flagged Egan's Creek and the Amelia River area as examples discussed during the meeting). Members also suggested mapping additional layers, such as 303(d) impaired waterbody boundaries and public wellhead buffers, to help prioritize sites.

Several commissioners and staff emphasized the need to separate program design from funding. Commissioners generally supported developing the "bones" of the program now — site-selection criteria, planting strategies and species guidance — and then applying funding scenarios once a budget or grant funding is available. Olsen said the county has a dedicated Nassau County Tree Fund and that some mitigation payments can feed that account; he also noted the county ordinance requires a financial-impact assessment that must be reviewed by OMB and the county manager before the BOCC will consider adoption.

On planting practice and maintenance, the commission discussed irrigation, planting season and species choice. Members and staff noted that small trees are cheaper and often require less water during establishment than large caliper specimens, and that some species (for example longleaf pine, as mentioned in the discussion) are more drought tolerant if planted at the correct season. Commissioners also raised the long establishment period for trees, the water needed per caliper inch during establishment, and the trade-offs between planting density and long-term tree health.

Olsen said the property appraiser's public GIS dashboards can be used by commissioners on their own computers and he offered to circulate a link to the map after the meeting. He also said staff had received an application for specimen tree removal and a setback waiver that might be ready for the commission's review at the next meeting.

Next steps recorded in the meeting included staff distributing the GIS link to commission members, commissioners reviewing the draft criteria and strategies between meetings, and returning to finalize the list at a subsequent meeting before the program is forwarded for OMB review and BOCC consideration. No formal votes or policy adoptions on the tree-planting program occurred during the meeting.