ORANGE PARK – On May 30, 2017 a severe windstorm made its way through Orange Park, taking with it one of the city’s oldest residents – a pecan tree.

Last Friday, members of the Orange Park Town Council, and other mourners including the Garden Club of Orange Park, gathered at Clarke House Park on Kingsley Avenue to set things right and plant a tree in memory of the one they lost. The tree had been on the site since before it was designated as a park, with some pecan trees living more than 300 years.

“We’re planting a pecan tree in the spirit of that pecan tree,” Mayor Scott Land said with a laugh during his remarks at the meeting. “I know it looks like a little stick.”

Land looked to Frank Burley, forest supervisor at Jennings and Belmore state forests, for confirmation that the tree would reach maturity in about 15-20 years, with some council members coming to the realization that the tree would outlive them.

“So maybe my grandkids can come and get some pecans?” Council Member Ron Raymond said.

During the ceremony, Burley also presented the city with their National Arbor Day Foundation flag and honored the city by announcing its 37th year being designated as a Tree City USA by the foundation, a feat that has only been topped by about five other cities and towns in the state, in addition to having the longest involvement in the program in Northeast Florida.

As the tree grows upward in its new home in front of the Clarke House, the town’s future residents can think back to that old tree that they lost on that fateful day in May 2017 as they snack on pecans and enjoy the shade.