The Porto City Council has confirmed the felling of palm trees in the Jardim do Passeio Alegre, adjacent to Avenida D. Carlos I, citing the removal of 20 specimens. The municipality explained that these trees are beyond recovery, and plans are in place to plant new palms as replacements.
The action is part of efforts to control the red palm weevil infestation, which has severely damaged several Phoenix canariensis palms, known for their palatable heart. This infestation has rendered the only apical meristem of these trees irreparably damaged. The felling of 20 Canary Island date palms is necessary as they are in a state of senescence.
This situation follows the removal of seven similar palms on Avenida D. Carlos I in the same area, as recently reported. These trees, also beyond recovery, were felled in the Passeio Alegre area, and information was officially confirmed by the municipality.
The ongoing works were scheduled between Wednesday and today. The municipality has stated that it is committed to protecting and enhancing the public arboreal heritage. In February, a public tender was launched to acquire 12 palms to replace those lost to the red palm weevil at Jardin do Passeio Alegre, Avenida Dom Carlos I, and Praça dos Leões.
The tender aims to replace specimens that failed to recover from successive weevil attacks. The Canary Island date palm species is particularly vulnerable due to its single apical meristem, prompting the need for maintenance and pest control.
The tender, with a base price of approximately 63,000 euros, seeks 11 palms at least four meters tall and one palm over five meters. These will replace trees lost at Praça dos Leões, Jardim do Passeio Alegre, and Avenida Dom Carlos I, where the palm alignment along the Douro River is of public interest.
Since 2020, the Porto City Council has been monitoring and performing biological treatments on 130 palms across the city, with over 8,000 interventions conducted. In 2023 alone, 1,599 interventions were carried out, fewer than in previous years due to a new biological treatment method.
If successfully controlling the weevil with this method, interventions could reduce to approximately 400 annually. In 2022, there were 2,535 interventions, while 2021 and 2020 saw 1,869 each.
