Anbody have experience with Mangrove trimming?

[Dillweed]

Going to see a customer on pruning his mangroves along the bay. I have never done it before. Just printed out the seven page application to trim mangroves from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Just some of the application includes scaled site plans, photographs, and $100 to $500 for the application fee.

Don't know if I should persue it, or leave it alone. Apparently I am qualified to trim them because I'm certified. Work is slow....but it looks like a headache.

 

[tree MDS]

Do they want to reduce them?

 

[Dillweed]

Yes, they want them reduced. And after further reading the statutes it looks like I don't need a permit. Just can't remove any of them and can't trim them lower then six foot.....among some other parameters.

 

[tree MDS]

Do they all gotta be climbed? or can you use a lift? Sounds like you need a dedicated ground guy just to pull hangers and fish stuff out of the water - sounds like fun, I miss fla treework sometimes, just not florida. Not that I ever trimmed Mangroves like that in particular.. but I snorkeled off the keys on this island through a mangrove...er, grove once.. man that was sweet. Lots of trimming in Fort Laurderdale, thats where I learned to rope climb, sometimes still miss a nice thorny a$$ Black Olive.

 

[Ekka]

Careful mate, slime, mud and bugs etc. Not nice, and they're heavy. Watch for rot, they'll teeter toter in the mud, bugger all roots to them.

Dont know how you'll go for reductions though, usually no foliage and poor branch structure inside of the canopy.

My advice. Leave them alone if possible.

 

[Bermie]

Check and double check your local ordinances...mangroves are usually protected.

I just did some, red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) for our NAtional Trust, they needed permission from the planning department on the advice of the Conservation Officer (who is my friend!)
I needed a boat, silky saw, pole loppers. Filled up the boat, paddled in and shifted the branches ashore, groundie was fishing bits out of the water all along. I had to scramble in amongst some of them, wobbly but quite strong, slippery though.
When you are done you will be wet, soaking wet, muddy, stinky! Target prune as normal. Check what nasties might be in your locale, poisonous stuff, crocs?
The worst I had was mozzies.

 

[SLlandscape]

When you are done you will be wet, soaking wet, muddy, stinky! Target prune as normal. Check what nasties might be in your locale, poisonous stuff, crocs?
The worst I had was mozzies.

Florida has the Eastern Diamondback Rattle snake and the Eastern Coral Snake (deadliest snake in North America), so be really really REALLY!! careful if you take the job. If bit you could end up with a $30,000 or more hospital bill. NOT KIDDING!