I’m not sure when these trees died. I’ve traveled this part of San Jose Blvd for almost 60 years, as a youngster going to the A&P for groceries in nearby Lakewood. Now I drive by this location every day coming home from the studio. Many wonder what killed the large cypress trees. The answer is the increased salinity of the St. Johns River caused by a number of factors - dredging of the river, decreased freshwater flow upstream, rising ocean levels, and development of the riverbank. There are very few natural places on the shoreline and as one expects, the health of the remaining trees is in serious decline. One day these trunks will be gone along with the reminder of the forest that was here.
A common scene along the St Johns River, when you can find a tree
