Alert in Sydhavnen

New alert, this time in Sydhavnen. Where it seems impossible to create a safe school way without felling 34 big trees. Same crew behind the planned massacre in Møllegade on Nørrebro (15 trees).

In other big cities trees are used in a constructive way, to lower the speed and create safe passage for pedestrians and cyclists. In Copenhagen everything is flattened and we are served the classic: "don't worry, we'll replant." No mention of the fact, that the trees subsequently don't survive. Hush, now.

UGH!

(sign reads)
The tree will be felled.
As a part of project Safe School Way in Sydhavnen we will fell in all 34 trees to create better conditions for cyclists and pedestrians.

We will replant 50 new trees, with better growth conditions, to last many years ahead.
 

Endangered trees by the Parliament

The brutal chunks of granite currently protecting the Parliament, are to be replaced with a different shape. And while they are at it, they have decided to remove the beautiful floor on the square,  Christiansborg Slotsplads. The old cobblestones will be replaced with pale granite, and the ten old trees will be removed. Again, we are told that the trees removed, will be resurrected on the opposite side. Along the canal, where there were once a row of trees. "We'll replant." Oh, sure.

Unbelievable that they haven't instructed the architects, to incorporate the existing trees. Such an easy thing to do!?

Link: The plan in Magasinet KBH. (In Danish)

Inspirational Catalogue

In honor of Copenhagen's brand new Tree Policy, we plan to build a catalogue to inspire our politicians. A page to get acquainted with the best practices of other cities, preserving and protecting the street trees. And preferably set aside the funds to match them. We begin with Paris, shot in April and August.

New trees:

Newly planted trees have g i a n t fenced off cradles, with wild nature. Properly explained on several signs, informing and instructing citizens: mind this space, a tree is about to grow. Once it has settled in, the frame is removed, and the root zone protected with a grill, so the young roots are not suffocated in compressed soil. And naturally a fence is mounted around the trunk.

A beautiful, wild cradle for a newly planted tree. Paris in the August edition.

1: Building the cradle and fence. Then, the planting of the tree and proper signage. Paris in April.

2: Once the tree is settled in, the fence is removed. Paris in April.

3: The sidewalk is partly returned, a guard is placed in the root zone and a fence is mounted around the fragile young bark. Paris in April.

Brand new set up. Paris in April.

Mature trees:
The mature trees are protected as well, against traffic and parked cars. Beautiful, sculpted iron structures, designed to take the beating that would otherwise have caused irreparable damage to the tree.

In this case the grill not only keeps pressure away from the roots, it is also used to mount the parking and traffic guard.

  
Every other tree are guarded with iron structures, and as we can see the cars are pushing it to the limit. Without the guards, the trees would have been scraped and damaged by opening car doors, etc.

  

Brilliant grill, allowing for mounting of the car guard without digging in the root zone.

  

Another design that in this case saved an old plane tree.

Construction work:

It is not up for interpretation where you are allowed to dig and unload heavy objects and machines. Clear and respected boundaries!

In Paris the trees are rightly treated as a part of the infrastructure. As an investment and with great respect. This is what it takes for vulnerable street trees to survive and thrive. Nothing less.

The replanting excuse

"Don't worry, we will replant". This is the excuse used every time they fell big, viable street trees in Copenhagen. Usually because it is easier to fell the trees than incorporate them, or because a landowner have big plans for the space underneath them (cough: Carlsberg). Even the city uses that excuse, as we know it from the 15 big trees in Møllegade.

The canopy removed will not resurface in our lifetime. And in many cases trees felled in the urban space, is a permanent removal, as newly planted trees have near impossible conditions for survival. And this is why the life span of a newly planted street tree in Copenhagen is only seven years.

One of the big obstacles is congestion. The soil is so compact that the roots have no chance to settle in, before they succumb. The surrounding area is constantly being dug up and the space is shared with cables, fibres and pipes. The urban trees in Copenhagen enjoy zero protection from traffic and thoughtless behavior, the bark is damaged and the wounds weakens the trees, making them susceptible to rot and fungus. Not to mention how they are systematically salted to death.

By the lakes on Nørrebro a young tree have fought an uneven battle since it was planted in 2014. With zero protection of the small root zone or the trunk. It has survived endless bikes thrown against the bark and even inconsiderately hung election posters, but the final straw was an out of hand street party. The city has informed us that it will be left to wither.

Two years, it survived in the street.

Google streetview from 2014, of the small newly planted tree.

Throwing your bike against a severely wounded tree? Disrespectful!

An unprotected investment. Unworthy of any city.

Carlsberg Climbing Forest update

Waiver granted with six votes for - ACV - and five against (ØBF).

Meaning: permission to fell an entire urban forest granted by the following parties:
Socialdemokratiet, Konservative and Venstre.
Against: Enhedslisten, Radikale and SF.

A major loss for Copenhagen.

Save the Climbing Forest on Carlsberg. There is still time. (UP FOR VOTE TODAY)

In a brand new press release from the city, it seems there is still time to save the precious Climbing Forest on the Carlsberg grounds. They have already been granted permission to fell 27 trees marked as worth preserving, but now the city draws the line.

Morten Kabell (Cph Mayor of Technichal and Environmetal Affairs):
"...It is unproductive that Carlsberg keep cutting down the Copenhagen trees for profit. Instead Carlsberg ought to incorporate such a precious area to the new plans, so the Climbing Forest could continue to draw visitors to the area and bring joy to so many." (Rough translation by Sandra)

This is a plea to all our politicians to preserve the Climbing Forest.

Carlsberg's newly massacred road, July 2015.

Links.
The City's press release (in Danish).
The Climbing Forest / Klatreskoven.dk

Disaster averted

News are in about the plan for the expansion of the Natural History Museum on the corner of Øster Farimagsgade and Sølvgade. A lot of citizens and local businesses submitted hearing replies to the plan at the last moment, in an attempt to preserve the nature in the entrance area. And it has made a huge difference.

Where the first draft to the entrance area was flattened and grey, the newly adopted plan for the area states that five of seven bunkers must be incorporated in the design along with the old trees. By preserving the bunkers, the trees are saved too, as their roots are entangled in the foundation.

In the newly published material (available online as a pdf file, in Danish), the entrance area is mentioned on page fourteen. Among other things, it states:

* Existing trees must be preserved.
* The corners must remain shaped by trees.
* Existing bunkers by Sølvgade must, with the exception of bunker 60 and 61, be preserved.

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Well fought, Copenhagen!

First draft for the entrance area, causing major concern.

 The area as it looks in the summertime.
 

From illustration no. 3, in the adopted plan for the area no. 532, for the Natural History Museum.

Links:

Adopted plan for the Natural History Museum (pdf file, in Danish)
Previous post: Potential disaster ahead, Jan. 21 2016
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