Amber alert on Islands Brygge

Tomorrow TMU decides if funds will be granted to fell the ENTIRE cherry avenue on Islands Brygge. A mad plan from the administration, who have offered the trees living conditions so poor that 14 of them over time have died and been felled. They now wish to fell the remaining 131 trees: 122 cherry trees (about 20 years old), 4 rowans, 4 poplar trees and the big chestnut on the corner.

Photo: Jan Oster, Islands Brygges Lokalråd (local council).

From the meeting material.

None of the trees are sick, but they have been subjected to poor living conditions which is reflected in their growth. Last year the city added another layer of compacted gravel, all the way up to the trunks, which among other things robs the trees of water. And recently the city itself increased heavy traffic on the roots, which makes it even harder for the young trees to thrive.

Rather than improving the living conditions and adjust their own behavior, the administration prefers to fell all and start from scratch with a new avenue. This goes against the new Tree Policy stating that trees "only be felled where absolutely necessary" and that "ensures good living conditions for existing trees".

The proposal hides in a bigger plan to renovate and improve the Harbour Park. Miraculously, the local council Islands Brygges Lokalråd discovered it in the nick of time, and this buys the citizens exactly one day to stop it. The decision is made tomorrow.

Links (Danish):

Islands Brygges Lokalråd/Local Council's letter to the politicians, with documentation and relevant information.

Bilag 2 TM1, Renovering og forbedring af Havneparken, Budgetnotat (meeting material)

Battle plan for the lake chestnuts

We have now entered the winter season, and the tormented chestnut trees on the road side of the lakes have not been pardoned. The Winter Service even denies that the trees are affected by the salt at all. That it is simply flushed out into the sewer system, without causing any harm. It makes no sense. The city knows perfectly well that salt is poison and that caliumformiat makes a huge difference.

The reason for not protecting the lake chestnut trees: they are already having a hard time (!?!).

It is very hard to get employees in the city to contradict the management on this, as their livelihoods depends on obeying orders. This is why the pressure must come from the citizens, with nothing to lose (except the urban trees). If we as citizens don't protest, we will lose our lake chestnut trees much faster than need be. This will happen because the trees are denied life prolonging care and further the decay by salting.

This is what we can do right now:

1. Argue for the political board on their last meeting before the election, decide whether the funds for caliumformiat can be granted for the road side of the lakes. The Winter Service informs us that it will only be done by direct political order.*

2. Sign the petition for the funds, allowing tree care specialists to prolong the lives of the old trees, over the next three years, and for the salt to be replaced with caliumformiat on the above mentioned stretch.

*Made difficult by the fact that politicians consulting the Winter Service on the damages from salt on this stretch, are misinformed.

The other steps will be implemented if the first two don't work. To be continued...

Funny how the the trees are  suddenly useful come election spam time.

Sign the petition: Hjælp Søkastanjerne!

Petition: Help the Lake Chestnuts

The old lake chestnut trees are fighting to stay alive, and need our help urgently. The city of Copenhagen not only denied the department funds for a plan to prolong their lives, but also continue to use the toxic salt on the roadside of the lakes, to save money. This can't go on.

The trees on the roadside are now so weak that they are continuously being felled for safety reasons. The many holes in the row and the burnt canopies, says it all. The citizens are the last hope. For this reason, we have started a petition to make the city fund the departments plan to care for the trees, and to stop the salting of the road side trees, effective immediately.

 (this is translated in another post, here)

Caliumformiat is used on one side, salt on the other.

The winter service informs us that an average winter season with caliumformiat costs 140.000 dkr, on this stretch. Caliumformiat is exactly twice the cost of salt, meaning the added cost of switching is 70.000 dkr. If the City of Copenhagen refuses to switch, we must insist that the old trees are in some way shielded from the salt. We request political action now!

Sign here (Danish): Hjælp Søkastanjerne!

Lake chestnut alarm!

To keep it short, all you need to do is look at the attached pictures. The old chestnut trees lining the center lakes on the road side, are fighting to stay alive. The many holes and small "replacement" trees speaks volumes on the gravity of the issue. Another tree just died and the others are close behind it. They are still salted in the winter, and the funds that the managers had requested in the budget for urgent extra care and monitoring (1,5 mill. dkr/approximately €200.000 or US$240.000, including a citizens involvement process, or even less with just the plain care), were not granted. See the attached screenshot.

These funds must be granted to provide the urgent extra care of the lake chestnuts. And: salting must be stopped immedeately on the road side of the lakes. Otherwise we lose our trees.

Should we launch a petition?

Screenshot from the budget notes below, where the management ask a small amount for extra care.

 

Highlighted in yellow: "..need for intensified monitoring, care and pruning of the trees. And: "Until the trees are replaced, for security reasons extra care and monitoring is needed." In red: "Not granted."

(Full text:) With this budget note financing is requested for three initiatives, supporting the renovation of the inner lakes surroundings.

1. Intensive monitoring and care of chestnut trees in 2018-2021 plus citizen involvement process regarding the replacement (1,5 mill dkr cost). The chestnut trees around the lakes are weakened by age, pests and disease. There have been cases of large branches of trees breaking off, endangering citizens, and several trees are felled every year. For security reasons and to keep the notable trees as long as possible there is a need for intensified monitoring, care and pruning of the trees. Furtermore the future kind of trees must be more robust. The management discourages chestnut trees as this species are prone to attacks from disease and pests. Possible new tree species taking over as the prominent tree around the lakes could for example be silver maple, tulip tree or bird cherry tree.

The management will include the citizens and local councils in the process of replacing he trees and electing the replacement species, to secure the higest level of ownership to the major change a replacement will be. Following the council will receive a proposal for a replanting plan. Until the trees are replaced, for security reasons extra care and monitoring is needed.

Alert in parks and forests!

We need to be very aware right now: The government wants to weaken the Forest Protection Act, by making it easier to build and develop in forests and parks. A proposal related to allowing for building along the coast line, a matter of making a profit on our precious shared nature.

A suggested change in the governments "Change of Forest Act" goes: "The Forest Act must not stand in the way of urban development or that of development in recreational areas".

We already know how much urban development are eating away at our nature as it is, only the park trees are really under any kind of protection, and that is about to disappear. This can't happen! We need to take care of our trees in forests and parks as well as those along the roads. They are vital to our survival.

A recent example of how important the Forest Protection Act is even in the city, is the new "Flying Carpet" on Israels Plads. Here the architects fantasized about letting the square eat a large chunk of the adjoining park, Ørstedsparken. This was minimized by the Danish Society of Nature Conservation, who fought to incorporate some of the biggest trees in the design. This was possible by adding a couple of large curves at the end. Had the architects had their way, as the government now plan for, these trees would not have been around today.

Just look at our old Ørstedsparken trees, in their glorious fall costume.

Read more about the proposal here (link). (In Danish, but you can always use google translate)
The petition for the Forest Protection Act here (link).