NPS Deforests Parking Lot in “Rehabilitation”

It appears that the welcome mat to Cumberland Island National Seashore (CUIS) has been deforested, with the removal of over a dozen mature live oaks from the mainland visitor parking lot in downtown St Mary’s, Georgia. 

The parking lot, located directly between the city’s riverfront park and a residential street, has served Seashore visitors for decades. 

Cumberland Island features one of the largest remaining mature maritime forests in existence — and the National Park Service’s sandy, unpretentious parking lot was integral to the primitive experience that Cumberland Island and its Wilderness provides. (The shade and UV protection it provided to the automobiles that were parked there for hours or days were valuable, too.)

Cumberland Island National Seashore management described the parking lot “rehabilitation,” which began in June, as “an improvement for visitors” and “a great example of your fee dollars at work” in its official press release.

An archeological analysis was completed five years ago (2020). This phase of the “rehabilitation” is expected to take six (6) months and includes “dedicated handicap parking, permeable pavers, and designated parking spaces.” 

The plans do not identify any RV access, any lighting plans, or any change to fee structure (parking is currently free). The agency has not shared how many remaining trees on its mainland properties will be protected, where water would be diverted, or if the trees that were removed would be utilized for other projects in any way. There was no notification that tree removal was part of the new parking lot plan, and public notice was issued only when the lot was closed and work began. 

Live oaks are Georgia’s official state tree and are a keystone species, resistant to saltwater and tolerant of high winds, and draped in spanish moss, they are synonymous with the American Southern coastline. 

This species has been documented to live for over a thousand years — even as snags, they continue to function as part of critical ecosystems for hundreds more years. 

We can only hope this “rehabilitation” is not a harbinger of things to come for Cumberland Island and its Wilderness. 

The agency has not released any updates to its previously-proposed Visitor Use Management Plan (2022) or Land Exchange (2024), both of which elicited intense public opposition; its plans for the Grange or Sea Camp Ranger Station, which were Congressionally-budgeted items; or its plans for a Wilderness Management Plan, which has never been approved and implemented for by the NPS since its Congressional designation in 1982. 

It may be appropriate to recall the saying, “every mighty oak was once a nut that stood its ground”. 

View the current Georgia Landmark and Historic Tree Registry (or submit an application for a tree) at www.gatreecouncil.org.

Photos

June 2025