What do we do with dead trees?

In Mallorca, dead trees are already an important part of the agrarian landscape. Where there once were almond trees that gave flowers and fruits, now there are skeletons of dry branches that remain standing, in the same place, for years and years. Fig trees also take the hit, and even carob trees, which seemed more resistant, have symptoms of disease. The Xylella and other pests have wreaked havoc in the countryside, also punished by drought, climate change, and the progressive abandonment of productive activity. The death of the trees has become almost part of the daily landscape.

We see it. But what are we doing about it? The situation does not occupy a place in the public debate, nor does it arouse concern proportional to the scale of the problem. If it really were a concern, some initiative to reverse it would probably have been set in motion. Because it is not just an aesthetic issue or nostalgia for a countryside that no longer exists. We are talking about landscape, biodiversity, agricultural production, and also about Mallorca's capacity to keep its territory alive.

Uprooting a dead tree, removing the remains, and preparing the land to plant another costs money. For many small farms that are not professional holdings, the majority on the island, the investment is difficult to assume. And there is no line of public aid that allows this renewal to be addressed in a generalized way, nor any technical support to guide which species or varieties should be planted in each case, nor which local almond varieties have more resistance to the Xylella bacterium. The problem does not seem to have a place in agricultural policies. The draft of the Government's new agrarian law focuses on productive activity, employment, and professional holdings, issues undoubtedly important for the future of the primary sector. However, the countryside does not end there. There is a multitude of small farms that do not live off agricultural production, but that are part of the rural mosaic of Mallorca. These lands have also suffered the effects of pests, drought, and abandonment. And they also need a public policy to take care of them.

Maintaining the agrarian heritage is a collective responsibility. A line of aid could be created to remove dead trees and replace them with species suitable for current conditions. It would contribute to recovering the landscape, maintaining the production of almonds, figs, and carobs, and preventing the spread of pests.

A field with dead trees is not just a field that has lost trees. It is a territory that is losing productive capacity, diversity, and a future. And if we accept that this landscape disappears without even discussing what we can do to prevent it, perhaps the problem is not just Xylella and climate change. It is the little importance we give to everything that still remains outside of the farms that are considered profitable. What do we do with dead trees? At the very least, stop looking the other way.