An Austin resident released a short film on the Internet Wednesday documenting the removal of several dozen native pecan trees to make room for a condominium on Barton Springs Road.
In the short film "At What Cost?," 28-year-old Tom Suhler documents the "death" of an 89-year-old native pecan tree that once stood in the Shady Grove RV Park in an area that became a parking lot for local restaurant Austin Java.
The removal of the pecan trees for the development of BartonPlace condominiums has sparked public comment from Austin residents.
At a concert in Austin last week, local musician Marcia Ball condemned the removal of the trees, leading to a downturn in business for Austin Java, whose owner is also a developer of the condominium project.
Suhler filmed and took pictures of the destruction of 50 of the pecan trees on the construction site. As a resident of the Barton Springs area, he said the event left him depressed and encouraged him to share the story.
"I felt like I needed to get the other side of the story out there," Suhler said. "It's a way to speak for the trees that have been knocked down."
By personifying the trees, Suhler said he hoped people would empathize with the situation. He said that although the trees cannot be saved, increased awareness could drive citizens to become involved in preventing similar projects in the future.
The four-minute film includes before-and-after shots, juxtaposing images of large, leafy trees at the former RV park with shots of the condominium's construction around barren land strewn with branches and tree stumps. It also includes a brief history of Texas pecan trees.
City Arborist Michael Embesi said the owner of the property approached him a year and a half ago to propose a plan to minimize tree damage from the development. He reviewed and modified the plan to incorporate trees into the design and ensured there was minimal impact on trees for the project.
Austin Java owner and BartonPlace developer Rick Engel also owns Uncle Billy's Brew & Que, which sits on a tract of land along Barton Springs Road. Engel told The Daily Texan Tuesday that becoming a developer of the project was the only way to save his businesses because the owner of the tract was going to sell the land for development anyway.
As an investor, Engel said he helped reduce the size of the condominium during planning to save many of the oldest pecan trees. He said he plans to plant new trees and move some of the removed trees across the street.
According to the City Arborist Program Web site, developers must pursue a restorative action, such as planting new trees, contributing to a fund or changing site plans to preserve more trees.
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