Baranoff Oak Preservation Project Begins Today

Joe Samnik and Alan Mayberry are like the Steve Jobs and Bill Gates of tree preservation.

The longtime consultants have been teaching about, fighting for and trying to preserve trees in this area and all over the country for a combined 75 years.

So when they said the beloved Barnoff oak, a staple of Safety Harbor’s scenic downtown that’s believed to be the oldest grand oak in Pinellas County, needed help, the City wisely listened. 

“Joe and Alan came to us and said the tree was in trouble and they wanted to help save it,” City Manager Matt Spoor said. 

“The City is interested in doing anything we can to preserve the tree, so we asked them what we could do to assist with their efforts.” 

All the duo asked for was money for the materials and equipment needed to attempt to revitalize the 300-year-old tree; they would provide their expert services for free.

With $20,000 in CRA funds already set aside for Baranoff improvements, the $6,000 the arborists said it would cost seemed like a small price to pay for the preservation of the grand old oak.

According to Samnik, it will be money well spent.

“The tree is in decline right now,” Samnik told Patch by phone on Friday. “It’s not in a death spiral, but if we do nothing, the tree is going to die in 5-7 years.”

“We’re going to do our best to save her, but we’re not sure it’s going to work.” 

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Samnik, who was raised in Safety Harbor and has litigated more than 500 court cases involving trees over the course of his 45-year career, said a combination of age and living in the city has caused the deterioration of the Baranoff oak.

He was quick to point out that the park area right near the tree didn’t necessarily accelerate the tree’s decline, but that all the development in the oak’s immediate vicinity is to blame for its current ailing health. 

“All of the urban improvements contribute to a tree’s health, not just a park and pavers,” he said. “Streets, sidewalks, buildings, all these improvements over a period of time come down to roost on these big trees. It’s part of being in an urban setting.”

Staring Monday the pair, along with a team of experts, will attempt to extend the life of the historic oak.

The process will involve pruning limbs, installing a lightning protection system, adding soil, fertilizer and mulch and improving the tree’s irrigation system.

Samnik said some of the techniques used are methods that can be harmful, but they are necessary steps in eventually nursing the tree back to health. 

“Some of the things we’re going to do on Monday can actually kill a tree,” he said. “But I’m not going to kill the Baranoff Oak, I’m going to save it,” he said.

“I’m staking my career on it," he added. "A year from now, we’ll know if I was successful.”