Denounce an arboricide in Pere Garau

PalmaThe Pere Garau Saludable association has reported that the Palma City Council has paved the tree pits of trees felled on Torcuato Luca de Tena street without planning for their replacement. According to the entity, this action is in addition to the sealing of other spaces that previously housed trees on Faust Morell and dels Reis Catòlics streets, which "evidences a progressive reduction" of the green heritage of Palma's most populated neighborhood, they criticize. The association calls for urgent compensatory measures and a municipal strategy that guarantees the recovery of the lost trees.

The complaint is part of the "Necessitam més ombra" (We need more shade) campaign, jointly promoted with the Flipau amb Pere Garau platform, with which the organizations conduct an inventory of urban trees and warn of the disappearance of "large-sized arboreal positions without replacement". The collectives maintain that urban trees are essential infrastructure for combating high temperatures, improving air quality, and reducing noise pollution, especially in densely populated neighborhoods with a scarcity of green spaces.

The controversy comes months after the strong citizen mobilization generated by the decision of the Palma City Council to cut down 18 shade trees in the Plaça de Llorenç Villalonga. In that case, Cort justified the action for safety reasons and due to the condition of the specimens, while neighbors, environmentalists, and arboriculture experts questioned the need for the massive felling.

The Pere Garau Saludable and Flipau amb Pere Garau organizations have requested the Palma City Council to implement a clear, transparent, and participatory strategy for managing the neighborhood's urban trees, following recent actions that have generated concern among residents. The collectives believe that decisions regarding trees and green spaces cannot be made behind the neighborhood's back and demand planning that allows for advance knowledge of which actions will be taken and with what criteria.

Among the demands conveyed to Cort are the immediate replacement of removed specimens, the publication of a maintenance and pruning calendar accessible to citizens, and the "redevelopment of streets that still lack tree pits of at least one square meter" to encourage the planting and development of new trees.

The organizations also demand the expansion of green areas and shaded spaces in one of Palma's most densely populated neighborhoods, in addition to guaranteeing mechanisms for neighborhood participation in all decisions affecting public spaces. As they argue, trees not only serve an aesthetic function but are essential infrastructure for combating the effects of heat, improving air quality, and making the neighborhood's streets more livable.