This week, the Roses City Council has begun to cut down fifteen palm trees located around the promenade to improve the security of this central space, frequented by pedestrians and also vehicles.
The action affects a section of Rhode Avenue, between the Ginjolers stream and the Cuana stream, where there are palm trees up to ten meters high that were planted approximately fifty years ago. They belong to the Phoenix dactilifera species, popularly known as date palms.
In 2015, the first attacks of the red weevil were detected, a beetle of Asian origin that devours palm trees and has become a real pest. On August 17, 2022, during a violent storm, two trees fell on Rhode Avenue, which forced a study to be carried out that concluded that the adjacent palm trees should be removed due to phytosanitary problems.
The Councilor for Infrastructure and Services of the Roses City Council, Lluís Espada, justifies the action due to the risk of current accidents. “The existing palm trees are very tall, in some cases reaching 10 meters in height; they have a very voluminous and heavy crown, which in the event of a fall poses a severe risk to pedestrians and vehicles,” he says.
In addition, he points out that the presence of the red weevil, a pest that affects both the crown and the trunk of the tree, “increases the danger of falling.”
Throughout this week the trees will be felled, the trunks will be removed and the holes will be made to replant the new trees. The palm trees will be replaced by tamarisks, small shrubs up to three meters long, considered a native species that easily adapts to the marine environment. In total 23 specimens will be replanted.
