DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — We've heard from hundreds of you in the last 24 hours on our Facebook page after a vote by the Lake Worth Drainage District on Wednesday was made to cut down a massive banyan tree at Delray Beach Golf Club.
Now, we're learning it could potentially be saved.
WPTV's Joel Lopez has been working to find solutions and took your questions to Tommy Strowd, director of the Lake Worth Drainage District, to learn what it would take to save this massive tree.
It turns out Delray Beach would need to come up with a plan to trim it substantially so it no longer poses a threat to the canal. Otherwise, the tree will need to come down in the next 30 days.
The clock is ticking to save the 75-plus-year-old banyan tree with a canopy that's a half-acre in size from getting chopped down.
City staff says it's one of the largest of its kind in south Palm Beach County.
"Half an acre in size, I didn't realize it was that big," said Delray Beach resident Kevin Ayer. "It's a shame, we already trample this earth as it is, we should do everything we can to save it."
I met with Strowd, after hundreds of viewers commented on our social media to protect the tree.
"We love trees but not when they're going to risk flood damage," Strowd said. "It's in a situation where it could fail. A tree that size in this canal is not something you can just reach in and pull out. Major blockage in a major canal in a major rain event would be catastrophic if it weren't addressed immediately."
He says the Drainage District had to vote on a proposal from the city, which was to preserve the tree as it is, but the Drainage District voted no unanimously, saying the bank where the tree is growing is unstable.
Strowd calls the canal next to the tree the I-95 of drainage, as it is a major source of drainage for the city. If the tree falls in during a storm, it could create flooding to 12,000 residents throughout South County.
Delray Beach
'It's a treasure we'd like to keep': Massive banyan tree may get chopped down
"I don't want to flood Delray Beach or Boca, that's our home, it would be horrible, just do your diligence," said Janis Ziffer, a Delray Beach resident. "Try to save the tree as much as you can but if you have to cut it back, cut it back."
Strowd said he's open to getting a new proposal from the city with a specific plan on how to preserve the tree while clearing enough of it away from the canal so it doesn't pose a threat, and to not obstruct the right of way for staff along the bank for the Drainage District or in the water.
I took that message to Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney, who learned about this potential way to save the tree from WPTV.
"I'm reaching out to environmentalists, I'm reaching out to people who know these sorts of things," Carney said. "Now that we know that there is flexibility on their end, let's see what we can do to save it."
Carney and fellow city commissioners have been advocating to keep the tree. He said details on the next proposal will come down to the cost of relocating or trimming the tree, and if it will still be healthy after what may be a drastic chop to clear it away from the canal.
"Every comment I've heard about this tree was, let's see what we can do to save it. If there's a reasonable way to do it then we should definitely do it and that's what we're trying to explore now," Carney said.
The city has 30 days to come up with a plan, but Strowd said the Drainage District is willing to work with the city if they need an extension.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
