Boneyard Beach, On the Outskirts of Town

Boneyard Beach is where all the dead Live Oak trees go. 

They then watch the sun rise across the Atlantic Ocean.

Boneyard Beach is on Big Talbot Island, just outside Jacksonville. 

Boneyard Beach has thick black outcroppings surrounded by white sands.

Not rock, but black clay.

The quiet waves splash on the shore.

The winds whistle through the white limbs.

Boneyard Beach is an urban mystery.

Dead Live Oaks, Boneyard Beach by Kevin Shea

Dead Live Oaks, Boneyard Beach by Kevin Shea

Dead Live Oaks, Boneyard Beach by Kevin Shea

Dead Live Oaks, Boneyard Beach by Kevin Shea

Pneumatophore (Fr) Cypress Knees (English) Taxodium distichum (Lin)

Cypress Knees, Suwanee River Rapids

Cypress knees or Pneumatophore are root extensions reaching into the air.

Popular to plant around Urban Core stormwater ponds in geographic locations with drought and innundation, Taxodium distichum grows well in both arid and soggy conditions.

No one really understands the knees' function or purpose.

I believe the cypress trees grow knees as a work of art.

Urban trees / Arbres en ville

Trees provides considerable benefits to our cities !

Les arbres apportent des avantages considérables à nos villes !

Here are just a few  / En voici quelques-uns :

• A large beech tree can provide enough oxygen for the daily requirements of ten people / Un grand hêtre peut fournir assez d'oxygène pour les besoins quotidiens de dix personnes.

• Trees have a positive impact on the incidence of asthma, skin cancer and stress-related illness by filtering out polluted air, reducing smog formation, shading out solar radiation and by providing an attractive, calming setting for recreation. / Les arbres ont un impact positif sur l'asthme, cancer de la peau et les maladies liées au stress en filtrant l'air pollué, réduisant la formation de smog, protégeant du rayonnement solaire et en fournissant un cadre de vie agréable.

• Tree planting strengthens communities by providing people with an opportunity to work together for the benefit of the local environment. / Ils favorisent la vie sociale en offrant aux gens l'occasion de travailler ensemble pour le bénéfice de l'environnement local.

• Trees can save up to 10% of energy consumption through their moderation of the local climate / Les arbres peuvent économiser jusqu'à 10% de la consommation d'énergie grâce à leur incidence sur l'îlot de chaleur urbain

• Trees play a vital role in the urban ecosystem, by helping to support a great variety of wildlife. / Les arbres jouent un rôle essentiel dans l'écosystème urbain et aident à y conserver une biodiversité

• Trees reduce noise in cities by acting as a sound barrier. / Les arbres réduisent le bruit dans les villes en agissant comme une barrière sonore.

• Trees and green spaces significantly reduce the stress of urban living. / Les arbres et les espaces verts contribuent de manière significative à réduire le stress de la vie urbaine.

Read the detailed report on Trees for Cities

Urban Forestry Success, Treaty Oak, Quercus virginiana

Live Oak, Quercus virginiana Downtown Jacksonville, Florida

The 'Treaty Oak' is a live oak, Quercus virginiana and is growing on the banks of the St. Johns River in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida.

Though surrounded by tall urban buildings, the tree flourishes.

The tree's large limbs are supported with cables and lighting shields protects the oak from electrical storms.

Treaty Oak is one example of successful Urban Forestry.

Urban Forests. The Hippo Tree.

Trees experience much harsher living conditions in the city.  And they show resilience.

Smog, night light and noise levels, compacted soils, polluted runoff, bark wounds, power lines, pruning, and insects all make a Urban Forest tree's life a daily challenge.

The photos here are of a laurel oak, Quercus laurifolia, infected by a pest organism a long time ago and the immune response.

I call this tree the Hippo Tree.  The galls form the faces of a momma hippo, a father hippo and baby hippos.

The laurel oak is growing in a healthy manner and show no signs of stress caused by the galls.

Mother Nature is amazingly resilient.