City of Panama City Beach issued the following announcement on February 16.
The Panama City Beach Conservation Park is offering free pine chippings to be used as mulch for flower beds or gardens. Residents and homeowners may pick up the mulch, located on Griffin Drive, just outside the entrance to the park, located north of Panama City Beach Parkway.
The cuttings are from dead sand pine trees being removed at the intersection of Baxley Homestead and Palmetto Trails. The trees are being removed as part of the park's long-term management plan to restore longleaf pine native to the area. The sand pine are being removed for the replanting of longleaf pines.
Longleaf forests once covered 92 million acres from Texas to Florida. These pines define our southern forests but have been reduced to 3 million acres. The City is a part of a national resurgence to replant these pines.
The Panama City Beach Conservation Park is a 2,912-acre park protected through the management and utilization of the City's reclaimed water to rehydrate wetlands. The park's forestry management practices will lead to ecosystem restoration and habitat improvement as certain species are removed and native species are reintroduced to the park.
If you are visiting the park, please be aware that continuing through the month of February, neighboring property owners are logging trees on private lands. Logging trucks will be using Osprey Trail to enter and exit the logging area through the Kelly Street gate. This is along the far west end of Osprey Trail. Please avoid this area if possible.
Communications Director Debbie Ingram can be reached at (850) 233-5100, Ext. 2261.
Original source can be found here.
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