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The figures were also worrying
Photos of the felled trees at Bernardine’s cemetery on social media started spreading last week. People were bothered by both the process itself and the numbers on the trees, which could mean that it was that tree’s turn until it was cut down. And those numbers are impressive: 147 and even 246.
Members of the group “Save Vilnius Trees” openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the Vilnius Municipality, which planned the works, believing that healthy or at least healthy trees fell in the cemetery, which could have been enough to protect, strengthen or hold them.
Lack of public participation
City anthropologist Jekaterina Lavrinec has written a letter demanding that logging at the Bernardine cemetery be stopped. He states that work must stop until the Public Commission for the Protection and Supervision of Green and Green has presented its findings, and that it was not consulted prior to the launch of the project.
“The report distributed by the Vilnius municipality on the management of the Bernardine cemetery said that the aim was to preserve as much vegetation as possible and that dangerous trees would be removed. Today, residents share logging documentation on social media, showing that massively marked felled trees don’t even grow near graves, and stumps look healthy.
Such radical logging is not in line with measures to manage the effects of the climate crisis and goes against the guidelines of sustainable development and the constant public demand for the promotion of a green environment ”, writes J. Lavrinec.
Indrė Bungardaitė / 15min photo / Trees are cut down in the Bernardinai cemetery
It also raises questions about the project, whether a vegetation status examination has been conducted or whether the trees have been promised to replant.
“Whenever the public reacts sharply to the destruction of historic vegetation, and the arguments in favor of ‘dangerous trees’ need to be very clearly documented, press releases are not enough. This and other similar ‘fixes’ just mistrust increases in the municipality in the field of vegetation management and maintenance. Can a conscious vegetation policy finally be introduced in Vilnius, starting with protection, treatment and strengthening? “the letter asks.
Municipality: the trees are getting old
Giedrė Čeponytė, Head of the Department of Vegetation of the Municipality of Vilnius, admits that there was a lack of information about the future works at the Bernardinai cemetery; not really enough press release, efforts should be made to bring news to target groups, people who really care about Vilnius Greenery.
“Perhaps the message was too silent and did not reach that target audience, it is a pebble in our garden, we have to stretch out in that area. And what is happening is that the cemetery is more than 200 years old, for some trees no less. Trees grow old. They create the spirit of those cemeteries, the corresponding atmosphere, in Lithuania there are already fewer cemeteries with large trees, the reasons are very different: to have a grave without needles, to prevent the leaves from falling, This is the culture of the cemetery, “said G Čeponytė.
For cemeteries for more than 200 years, for some trees no less. Trees grow old.
He recalled the scourge that broke out in the spring of this year, when gusts of wind whipped through the area and knocked down several trees in the Bernardine cemetery, damaging monuments, some of them cultural heritage objects, as well as fences and sculptures.
“People then saw that no one is cutting down old trees and those trees are damaging tombstones, graves and yet, God forbid, they fall on a person who is walking. After all, such cemeteries are frequently visited, it is an oasis of walks, although the cemetery is inactive, it is not buried there, no new cemeteries are designated. Then we started to do an additional inventory and we recognized those 46 trees as dangerous – they also grow from a monument, pear or hill, their roots do not hang as they should to maintain that 500 kg tree, it is dangerous ”, said G.Čeponytė.
Indrė Bungardaitė / 15min photo / Trees are cut down in the Bernardinai cemetery
Fastens with special straps
He claimed that no one was going to cut down more than 200 trees at Bernardine’s cemetery, and said he couldn’t explain where those numbers on the trees might have come from and what they mean. However, the 46 most dangerous trees were and still are in the plans.
It is still promised that the crowns of several dozen trees will be secured with special belts, so the branches of these trees will not pose a threat. According to G.Čeponytė, there was no mention of the support mentioned by the public, because it would be difficult to do it in the cemetery, it is not clear what size those supports should be, what they are made of, etc.
We recognized 46 trees as dangerous: they also grow from a monument, pear or hill, their roots do not hang as they should to support a 500 kg tree.
These works are planned in the Bernardine cemetery after the snow in May. Then it was estimated that there are about 300 trees in the Bernardine cemetery in total, most of them, according to G.Čeponytė, are in poor condition according to the methodology approved by the Ministry of the Environment, but only some of them, such as the that were removed, they were emergency. Among the latter are small-leaved four-july, 2 pruned birch trees, 25 common maples, some poplars, ash trees, thuja, and even an apple tree.
In the future, the municipality intends to use not only specialists, but also devices – special tomographs, which send an audible signal to find out what size rot is on the trunk. Arborists and dendrologists do the same. “We will go to the old trees, if we can get that equipment, we will have money. Because we really see the need, our government sees the need, ”said the specialist.
Build faith in professionals
G.Čeponytė assured that all the trees were inspected and this was done by specialists: “We have the methodology that we have. The specialists, knowing the type of tree, see the fungus that grows on the trunk and can even decide if there is a meadow inside, how big it is. Whether that fungus eats a tree, damages it or not, you can see the external signs of drevs, cracks. Every one of those trees was really caught.
Maybe only after cutting down the tree and you see a pretty white stump, but I think even on those stumps you see darker spots, it stretches. Perhaps an obvious rot and not see how we imagine it. If the stump is stiff but dark, then the rot or dredge was greater. “
Therefore, people who complain should go to the specialists and observe the condition of those trees, or take a closer look. But a municipal spokeswoman also emphasized that even after felling dangerous trees during a storm, a completely healthy tree can be cut down, this sometimes happens.
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