Forestry Resources recognized for post-hurricane recovery and restoration work at Lakes Regional Park

Friday April 14, 2006

Contacts:
Sharon Arnold, Public Relations Counsel, (239) 275-5758, sarnold@gravinasmith.com
Alan Shaffer, Forestry Resources Inc., (239) 334-7343, ashaffer@gomulch.com

FORESTRY RESOURCES RECOGNIZED FOR POST-HURRICANE RECOVERY AND
RESTORATION WORK AT LAKES REGIONAL PARK

FORT MYERS, Fla. (April 14, 2006) - Forestry Resources Inc. is one of two firms being recognized by Lee County Parks and Recreation for their recovery and environmental restoration work at Lakes Regional Park in South Fort Myers damaged by Hurricane Charley in August 2004. A section of the park that was transformed into a wetland and seasonal pond has a plaque dedicating it to Vegetation Management, a division of Forestry Resources in Fort Myers, and EarthBalance, an ecological restoration and consulting firm based in Tampa.
Forestry Resources is an industry leader in the manufacturing of environmentally friendly landscape materials, and the vegetation management arm of the company is involved in the removal of invasive and exotic vegetation and trees. Invasives include melaleucas, as well as Australian pines that dominated the 280-acre park.
"About 30 percent of the Australian pine trees were already taken down by Hurricane Charley, many with root systems that had been upended," said Jim Blalock, project manager for Vegetation Management, which had been contracted by Lee County for the mammoth undertaking. "We estimated that some roots that came up when the trees went over were 20-by-30 feet in size."
The team was still cleaning up from Charley when Hurricane Wilma tore through the area in October 2005, leaving another round of damage in her wake. By the time Blalock and the four-crew members on the job were finished clearing, they had ground up enough trees, roots and vegetation to fill more than 200 trucks with 44-foot-long trailers. Forestry Resources' manufacturing plant in Fort Myers processed the biodegradable material and recycled about 75 percent of it into a variety of useful horticultural products.
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2-2-2-2/Forestry Resources Recognized for Post-Hurricane Work at Lakes Regional Park

When the takedown and cleanup work was finished, Blalock volunteered to help reclaim a wetland area and restore it to its natural state, and asked EarthBalance if they would participate in the project. His crew removed exotics that had invaded the area, then teamed up with EarthBalance to reshape that portion of the park, an island with a cypress head at the end of a boardwalk.
"Jim did much of the planning, and EarthBalance donated and installed the water plants," said David Raybuck, senior supervisor with Lee County Parks and Recreation at Lakes Regional Park. EarthBalance's contributions included several Florida slash pines and cypress trees, both Florida natives.
"The area is now a natural wetland and wildlife habitat, a seasonal pond that fills with water during the summer rains," said Raybuck. "In the dry, winter months, when the water recedes, little pools form, trapping fish, and they become feeding places for native birds." Park visitors are also able to walk along a path the team created.
Park areas cleared of damaged, exotic and invasive trees became parkland that was unusable before, natural breezes that couldn't penetrate the walls of trees now flow, and the county is already planting hundreds of native trees that will mature and provide shade.
"We are very pleased to recognize Forestry Resources for the work they did and EarthBalance for their work and donation to the park," Raybuck said. "The plaque is a token compared to all the work they did to restore and enhance the park."
The restoration has special meaning for Blalock. "Forestry Resources is an environmentally-based company, so we are very proud of what we accomplished," he said. But there is also a personal side to it. "My kids are fifth-generation Lee County, and I used to swim here before it became a lake from quarry operations. Being part of returning some of the land to its natural state means a lot to me."
Forestry Resources is an industry leader in the manufacturing of environmentally friendly landscape materials for wholesale and retail distribution. For information about Forestry Resources, landscaping and landscape products, and the Southwest Florida environment, call (239) 334-7343, or visit www.gomulch.com.
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