Lunel: the remains of diseased plane trees erased from the landscape in one day

La carotteuse en action cours Gabriel Péri. Midi Libre – JPS

Evacuation des racines puis de la terre Midi Libre – JPS

Les souches, les racines et la terre des onze grands arbres atteints de la ravageuse maladie du chancre coloré ont été enlevées ce lundi. Une opération menée tambour battant.

After four months of patience, it only took a short day, this Monday, February 19, for the Serpe de Baillargues Group to get rid of the last ten trunks of the plane trees felled at the beginning of October. Thanks to its powerful coring tool, finally attacking, the company specializing in the maintenance of tree heritage quickly came to grips with both the trunks and the main roots of these infested trees.

Treatment with fungicide in the meantime 

Under the eye of some Lunel residents impressed by the power of the machine, the construction site was eagerly awaited by the City. Because canker is not a harmless disease, the disease has the capacity to spread very quickly both through tree roots and through aerial contact. However, the work was postponed twice due to a technical problem with the coring device. This Monday, it was scrupulously followed by Joseph Livernois, municipal green spaces technician.
The latter attended the complex felling of trees on the night of October 9, 2023. While observing this new phase of the eradication of the disease, he remembered the enormous precautions (tarpaulins on the ground, footbaths…hellip 😉 taken in October to prevent the canker from spreading. These precautions were followed by specific treatment of each root system. « As coring could not be done immediately after felling the plane trees, a fungicide treatment was carried out on each stump so that it reached all the roots, explains the technician.

Continuation and end in autumn with 11 new trees

In the same spirit, the construction site this Monday was not content with extracting the trunks.« The company also evacuates as much of the soil as possible that has been treated and fills the hole created with healthy soil, adds Joseph Livernois.
The continuation and end of this project will take place in the fall with the replanting of 11 trees, opting for new tree species which have not yet been chosen. However, we know that they must be as resistant as possible to canker. For the moment, the discussion revolves around three or four species including the elm or the hairy oak. « The choice will be determined by the City landscaper, in conjunction with his counterpart from the Department, specifies the works assistant Paulette Gougeon, since several locations are located on the departmental public domain.

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