The city of Písek is saving the memorial tree Semická linden, which was badly damaged by a strong wind this October. His gusts did not spare the crown, which broke off at the bottom and fell into the street. Fortunately, there was no serious damage during this event, during which the tree lost three quarters of its height.
“Initially, it was not clear how much the remaining branches and the damaged trunk would need to be reduced. Arborists assessed the linden tree and there was a risk that only the trunk of the tree, with a total height of two to two and a half meters above the ground, would be left,” said Ondřej Kofroň, coordinator of urban greenery.
The roughly 350 to 400-year-old linden tree was expertly pruned by an arborist this week, giving the tree a chance to continue growing in place. “In the end, it was not necessary to proceed with such a fundamental felling, and all that was needed was to shorten the remaining branches, in order to stabilize the entire tree. The trunk was cleaned at the point of break-off and thus remained without the proposed drastic intervention,” noted Ondřej Kofroň. Given that many young branches were preserved in the linden after the windstorm, it can be assumed that it will still be vital in the following year and will thus form a new secondary crown. Thanks to this, it could be preserved for at least a few more years. However, according to Kofron, the Semik linden is attacked by wood-rotting fungi in some places, which have caused a violation of the strength of the wood, and therefore it will be important to monitor it and treat the newly planted crown regularly.
Memorial trees are those trees that are significant due to their growth, volume or location in space. Local events or legends are often associated with them, and not only people living in their surroundings have a deep relationship with them and observe any interference with them with embarrassment. “Current climate conditions probably won’t allow young trees to grow to similar sizes and live to that many years. That is why it is important to take care of mature and important trees so that they remain preserved for future generations,” added Ondřej Kofroň. The City of Písek therefore invests annually in the treatment of mature trees on its territory, as well as in the memorial trees of Písek, which it manages. A total of eight are currently announced.
Source and documentary photo: City of Písek
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