Marble Falls losing 100-plus park trees

Amber Price and her children have been picnicking and playing on Johnson Park ever since she was a little girl. It's become sort of a family tradition.

"They've  been climbing on these trees since they could walk" said Price, a longtime park visitor, "It's been 10 years we've been coming here."

But  the character of the park is under threat, as many trees scattered thought the city's parks will have to come down to avoid injury. The news was a bit hard to take.

"Just kind of skipped a beat like, 'Oh no,' because we lost all of of our trees in our yard," said Price. "We live in Spicewood. All of our oak trees died, so you know we like to come here and be under shade trees."

But city officials say they have no choice. The dangerous trees must come down to avoid injury.

"The last couple of years, we've had little to no rainfall," said Park and Recreation director Robert Moss. "Just like everywhere else in the Hill Country without that needed rainfall, the trees are dying off one by one."

There are 14 parks and a total of 123 acres of parkland under the city's watch. But despite the history of some of these trees, safety has to come first.

"When it's as hot and as dry as it is the trees get brittle and the limbs fall out of them usually if  there's a little bit of wind," said Moss. "Or we do get a much-needed rain shower the limbs get a little bit heavier and they break out and could fall on someone."

The parks department says it's going to have to wait until winter to take inventory on how many trees have died and then figure out  how many more trees are going to have to come down.

But that's still months away. In the meantime, Price, her family and other's who have grown fond of the trees will enjoy them while they can and hope their favorite tree doesn't make the cut.