Florida coral restoration project uses underwater trees to save endangered species

A coral conservation initiative in the Florida Keys, which began as a 4-H youth project involving Ken Nedimyer and his daughter around the year 2000, has evolved into a significant rescue network. The project utilizes a method known as ‘Coral Trees’—structures anchored to the seabed and held aloft by buoys—to grow coral fragments in the water column, away from the seafloor.

These underwater trees allow species like Acropora cervicornis (staghorn coral) to reach reef-ready sizes within six to nine months. While a 2023 marine heatwave led to the functional extinction of staghorn and elkhorn corals on Florida reefs, the Coral Restoration Foundation’s network of nurseries and genetic banks prevented the total disappearance of these species from the region, providing a foundation for future recovery efforts.