The Lake Worth Drainage District voted Wednesday morning to entirely remove a massive 75-year-old banyan tree discovered at the Delray Beach Golf Course, despite city efforts to save it.
Massive banyan tree may get chopped down
The tree, estimated to be the largest in South Palm Beach County, must now be removed by June 1.
Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney went before the district Wednesday with data from an arborist. The data found the tree did not pose a threat to the nearby canal and that removing it could create structural issues for the canal bank. Carney also explained logistical plans established to secure the tree if a storm were to approach.
In an effort to comply and eliminate the potential threat to the canal, the city directed crews to trim the tree’s branches away from the water. Despite the plans, arborist findings, and trimming, the Lake Worth Drainage District voted again to have the tree removed, citing a looming flood threat.
Delray Beach
‘It’s a treasure we’d like to keep’: Massive banyan tree may get chopped down
WPTV first reported on the banyan tree in January. Crews initially thought the half an acre canopy was multiple trees, but learned it was one massive tree that had grown while the golf course was underkept. Crews uncovered the tree during recent site renovations as they were clearing out brush near the canal…