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The Lindenfeld Courier

500 new street trees, chosen for hotter summers

Lime and maple have lined the streets of Lindenfeld for a century. The trees planted this autumn are hornbeam, silver lime, ginkgo and hop hornbeam, species that cope better with heat and dry soil.

By

Nadia Haddad

Reading time

1 minute
A row of round green trees along a pavement, each with a pool of shade

Why the old favourites struggle

Since 2018 the city has lost around 1,200 street trees to drought and pests, most of them sycamore maples and horse chestnuts. Their shallow roots dry out in long summers, and weakened trees fall to fungus within a few years.

Bigger pits, more water

Each new tree gets a planting pit of 12 cubic metres instead of the usual four, filled with a soil mix that stores water. For the first three summers, the parks department waters every tree once a week with 100 litres.

Adopt a tree

Residents can sponsor the watering in their street. More than 300 people signed up in the first week, and the parks department hands out watering bags and a short guide at the town hall.