City Removes Live Oaks

By MARK HOLAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 1, 2007

DOWNTOWN - Only 4-foot stumps remain of the live oaks that once shaded the front steps of the Tampa Convention Center.

The giant octagonal planter boxes leading to the center's front doors look weedy and forlorn.

By December, the city plans to refill the planters with native palm trees and other fresh landscaping.

'It's going to look more Floridian,' convention center administrator John Moors said.

Last week, the city council approved a $122,500 contract to remove the stumps and dirt from eight planters, which are about 5 feet deep and 18 feet in diameter. Five other planters have been emptied at a cost of about $75,000.

When the $140 million convention center opened in fall 1990, the 13 planters were filled with 18-foot-tall live oaks, along with rhododendrons and other plants.

'They grew until they couldn't grow anymore,' Moors said.

The tenacious oak roots cracked the concrete planters, clogged the drainage system and tangled buried irrigation and electrical lines.

The center's maintenance staff is repairing the planters as the stumps and dirt are removed.

'Until you yank them out, you don't know what you have underneath,' Moors said.

He said the replacement palms will have smaller root balls and require less water. He hopes to have the new landscaping in place by November at a cost of about $200,000.

The city is using convention center revenue to pay for the project.

'We're having a great year,' Moors said. 'This is like a great big house that's 20 years old. These are issues that have to be taken care of.'

Reporter Mark Holan can be reached at (813) 835-2102 or mholan@tampatrib.com.

http://southtampa2.tbo.com/content/2007/aug/01/st-city-removes-live-oaks/?news

Well good, yet another needed improvement to the convention center. The new trees and the fixed roof will make me happier.

Palms provide a vast amount of shade, don't they?

Heh.

Meh.

hehe... gotta admit, Maxim, 'meh' makes me laugh every time. :)

Look at the bright side; at least with palms, when you're sweating like a city fountain in the Africa heat, at least you can rip off a frond to fan yourself. :tyty:

They provide more shade than tree stumps. Live oaks just don't belong in pots.

They provide more shade than tree stumps. Live oaks just don't belong in pots.

True, too. You would've thought that this would have been discussed twenty years ago, though.... :lol:

Right?!?! What rocket scientist came up with the idea of planting oaks in a planter? Wasn't there a 6-year old around to point out the obvious idiocy in that planning?

Well, I guess while you're fanning yourself off with the palm frond, you've got a stump to sit on. :lol:

I can see it now. The AARP Convention selects Tampa for its Summer Conference. Oh, won't that be fun. Like eggs sizzling in the skillet.

(Actually, you don't need to be old to be cooked by this sun. Just... good luck with that, Tampa).

^^

I wonder why it is NOw that the city actually does something about it?

Maybe because the convention center is doing well enough that they can spend money on things like this? Business was pretty slow for a while...

^Money is free. The Center earned more in revenue than projected, so they're taking the time to "fix" things. The roof, the massive (potted) trees...

Well, that's good. Again, I'm happy about the whole roof thing. I drove me crazy hearing about the city and the county battle over whose responsibility it was to fix it.

I agree - why in the world would they plant Oaks in planters in the first place, given the nature of their root systems? This isn't something new, people.

However, I'm not too concerned about the shade issue. These planters dot the stairways leading up to the 2nd floor doorways. The vast majority of people enter and exit the Conv. Center throught the main doors on the ground floor at the corner of Franklin and Channelside.

That place is fine for Palms. But Palms are overated and overused. Pedestrian areas needs more shade trees. Oaks and Maples are about as Central Florida as you can get, despite what some Northerners think. We don't live in South Florida.

It's kind of funny I can't cut down a large oak on my property, yet the city does it without any public discussion.

That is really unfair. :ohno:

Well if you had a potted oak tree in your yard, you could cut it down. These weren't original trees or anything and they were destroying public property.

Yeah, the older trees are what the city gets real figety about...

That place is fine for Palms. But Palms are overated and overused. Pedestrian areas needs more shade trees. Oaks and Maples are about as Central Florida as you can get, despite what some Northerners think. We don't live in South Florida.

Amen!

The propensity of developers to plant bloody palm trees is nauseating. If you want to promote foot traffic in a hot, sunny state like Florida you need to have plenty of shade trees to keep the sidewalks shaded, cooler and with cleaner air.

^^
Agreed. But those oaks did not belong with the convention center. The root system would have caused extensive damage to the building had they been left in. Shoot, they were already causing some damage...

I would rather see more palm trees in the area. People who visit expect to see them...this is Florida.

I would rather see more palm trees in the area. People who visit expect to see them...this is Florida.

Some are fine, if you want to satisfy a certain pseudo aesthetic preconception, but if you are promoting dynamic urban growth, which requires foot traffic you need to plan accordingly to provide shade.

I agree with Robert. There has to be some degree of shade provided. Especially in the height of summer when temps are in around 90 or above.

In this area there is probably 1 native palm for every 100 oaks in the wild. And the native palms here are mainly cabbage palms, not so beautiful. I agree with Robert also, shade is needed.