Severed trunks, cemented legs. Tree management in Paris is controversial

Severed trunks, fixed at the base of trees on the Champs-Élysées, remarkable objects shamelessly cut down to be replaced by concrete buildings… A walk on Parisian sidewalks or in public gardens is enough to gauge how little attention is paid to trees. the capital. It is enough to ignite many controversies on social networks or during municipal debates in one of the densest agglomerations in the world and already very mineralized (5.8 m.^2: local green spaces within city walls per inhabitant, compared to 50 in London and 321 in Rome).

Last episode, Thursday night. Against the backdrop of global warming and air pollution, the topic sparked lively exchanges between the opposition and city council majority parties. At the heart of the dispute is the “tree report”, which was presented by the deputy mayor for the vegetation of public spaces and green spaces, Kristof Nazhdovski…