The area around the Rabun County Public Library and Rabun County Tax Commissioner’s Office is looking a little less shady as some of the trees were cut down recently for an expansion of the parking lot and safety reasons.
County Administrator Darrin Giles told The Clayton Tribune Tuesday the trees had dead limbs in the center and were at risk of falling on a vehicle or hitting someone in the head. Giles said the county plans to expand the parking area for more space and to make it safer to pull out.
Giles said the trees that were cut down by Adams Tree Service were Bradford Pears.
Also known as Callery Pear, the trees were listed on the Georgia Forestry Commission Top Twelve Nonnative Invasive Plants 2021 Dirty Dozen List, according to information from the Georgia Forestry Commission website.
According to the website, an Invasive Species is “Any plant or animal that has been introduced and aggressively competes with and displaces local native communities; normally having no native enemies to limit reproduction and spread.”
Giles said that once the parking lot is finished, green space will be added and smaller trees will be planted back in the area.
The kinds of trees that will be planted back are not known at this time, Giles said.
For more information on invasive tree species and other facts, visit https://gatrees.org/