Brazilian pepper not welcome in IRB
By HARLAN WEIKLE
Article published on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007  |
 |
![[Image]](/content_images/020107_bee-05.jpg) |
| Photo by HARLAN WEIKLE |
| From left, Edward Howell, president of the Hidden Harbour board; IRB code enforcement officer John Ouimette and David Kline, Hidden Harbour board vice president, meet Jan. 26 to assess the Brazilian pepper tree removal. |
|
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH – When is a hedge not a hedge? When it is a stand of Brazilian pepper and bits and pieces of the errant, highly invasive import which are threatening nearby mangroves.
That’s what residents of Hidden Harbour learned recently when their board of directors voted to hire Environmental Landscape Services of St. Petersburg to identify and remove one of several hedges lining a common at the end of Harbour Drive.
The small group of Brazilian pepper trees, sometimes called Florida Holly because of its bright red berry clusters, had been trimmed and molded into a low hedge topping a small berm, which separates the street from the park. About 40 yards away a forest of mangrove protects the Intracoastal waterfront, some of the pepper plants had begun to migrate into the mangrove.
Edward Howell, president of the homeowners’ association board, noted that many residents were unaware that the hedge consisted of Brazilian pepper.
Brazilian pepper was introduced to Florida as a solution to the need for a fast growing shade tree. Instead, the non-native tree quickly became a nuisance crowding out native species and taking over whole landscapes.
Greg Holle of ELP, the association’s landscaper, said that it took his crew of eight just one day to remove the peppers.
“We removed 37 peppers from the property,” he said, “ranging anywhere from 8 to 15 feet tall.” Some of the pepper trees had infiltrated the mangrove and were removed as well.
“Successful removal,” Holle added, “includes grinding out the tree stump.”
Left in the ground, Brazilian pepper quickly grows back from its root base.
A city public works crew picked up the tree debris and properly disposed of it the next day. The city encourages the removal of Brazilian pepper trees and will wave disposal fees, as they did in this case.
David Kline, Hidden Harbour board vice president, observed, “We know the state and county want to eliminate these non-native and undesirable trees to help preserve Florida’s natural environment. The board thought our action would help that cause.”
|
Article published on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007
Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved. |
