ORANGE PARK – Moosehaven is committed to the town’s designation as a tree sanctuary and it demonstrated it recently by planting 25 Live Oak trees.

The trees are popular in Northeast Florida, especially when compared to the Water Oak, which is less sturdy and more likely to come down during a classic Florida hurricane. The Live Oak, however, is a lot sturdier, and it’s able to grow for decades into the big beautiful trees that keep Orange Park as shady a place.

“We happened upon a tree nursery selling Live Oaks for $175 so we said let’s go ahead and take down the trees [on Moosehaven’s campus] that we need to take down and plant new ones,” Moosehaven executive director Helen Taylor said. “We wanted to replace them anyway to preserve the beauty and so we figured let’s get 25 new ones planted throughout campus.”

Taylor said the project is just in time for Moosehaven’s 100th anniversary in 2022. The campus hopes to stage a big celebration and planting 25 new Live Oak trees was just the start. She said Moosehaven plans to plant more soon.

It may be difficult to notice the new trees from Par Avenue because of Moosehaven’s sprawling 63-acre campus. One resident received a map of the campus with the new trees marked because he wanted to be their unofficial caretaker, Taylor said.

“Some of our residents are very excited about this,” Taylor said. “One is always concerned about the trees because he grew up in Orange Park and is now a resident here at Moosehaven. He told me: ‘I don’t have dogs or anything so me and my wife’s thing is trees.’ I gave him a map so he can keep an eye on them. It’s like a project for he and his wife to see how they’re doing.”

Moosehaven had to remove 12 trees in the past year, according to Taylor, which is why the organization is hoping to plant more during the next year.

“We are a bird and tree sanctuary,” Orange Park Mayor Randy Anderson said. “Over the year, many trees have been cut down to do new development, insurance reasons, storms and age. Our birds have moved on to new locations and this is a great way to start building our tree sanctuary and start bringing local birds back to Northeast Florida.”

Anderson said oak trees are especially important to the Town of Orange Park. They’re slower-growing and they develop best in the full sunlight to moderate shade. Many animals feed on the tree’s small twigs, buds, shoot and leaves and they attract hundreds of insects and invertebrates that feed on their foliage.

“These insects attract insectivorous birds, reptiles, frogs and mammals, developing a very dynamic food web within the forest,” Anderson said. “Because oak trees attract such a wide variety of insects, they are considered to be one of the most important trees for woodland inhabiting birds.

“It’s amazing to see a local organization like Moosehaven give back to our local community something our residents can enjoy for years to come. It is very important for local governments and local organizations to partner and build a true community for all to enjoy.”