Some beetles are the culprits of the anomalous mortality suffered by the pines in Barcelona, on the rise in recent years. The name of ‘Tomicus’ is not at all unknown in towns close to the capital, especially in the Maresme, where the insect it has wreaked havoc on large areas of pine forests for more than five years. Attempts to contain the plague have not been enough to prevent it from reaching the city as well: the City hall estimates that the species has nested in about 1,200 trees from the city, especially in forests and some parks. The invasion leads them to be felled to eradicate the threat, capable of killing a specimen in a few months.
The council has hired a company to cut and remove trees infested by the species ‘Tomicus sp.’ and other pests on forest soil in Barcelona. The company La Cyca Projects and Services SL has been awarded the contract, for which the City Council will pay a maximum of 106,889.71 euros, although the final cost will depend on the services that are proven to be provided. The agreement gives room to increase spending by up to 20% in case the insect spreads further. It is expected that the works of pruning begin on September 18 and last for two years, with the option to be extended for one more biennium.
The City Council points out that the thousand long specimens afflicted by ‘Tomicus’ are mostly pines. It is “the species the one that attacks the most & rdquor ;, highlights the municipal government. “It does not only affect Barcelona, it is also happening in other places in the area. Trees are felled to prevent proliferation of the insect & rdquor ;, he wields.
heat and drought
The dry weather imposed by the lack of rain provides the ideal scenario for the beetle to gain ground. “The environmental conditions of the last two years have favored the expansion of the plague & rdquor ;, affirms Parks and Gardens. Add that the increase of trees damaged and killed by the beetle in recent times have ended up “exceeding capacity& rdquor; of their brigades to take charge. In addition, they are specimens that are often found “in areas of difficult access & rdquor ;.
The drought is also intuited after the fatal accident a month ago in the Raval. Water stress due to lack of water is emerging as the probable cause of the collapse of the palm date palm that killed a 20-year-old girl. In parallel, employees of the consistory have cut down palm trees of the same type when detecting narrowing and other signs of danger of drop; in the first days of August, eight were thrown down.
A report of Parks and gardens justifies that it is necessary to provide brigades to start the “great volume & rdquor; of trees sick and killed by ‘Tomicus’, which “is significantly affecting the populations of ‘Pinus halepensis’ [pino carrasco] and ‘Pinus pinea’ [pino piñonero]”, concrete. These are two of the 10 most common species in the city: the Biodiversity Atlas of Barcelona It counts 8,946 stone pines and 5,544 Alpine pines, not including those that grow in the Collserola mountain range. The figures are far from 46,669 bananas inventoried: of the 418 species cataloged in the capital, it is the most repeated and includes 19% of the 245,088 trees in the city.
The second most common species is the hackberry. Known as ‘lledoner’ in Catalan, a specimen collapsed on the superilla of Sant Antoni last Wednesday, causing no casualties. Experts consulted by EL PERIÓDICO have warned of the risk that crashes sudden changes in trees become more common in Barcelona due to the influence of the climate changeespecially due to the combination of heat and insufficient rain.
More casualties in sight
The extension of the plague of ‘Tomicus’ has caused that “the name of low has seen an exponential increase in recent years& rdquor; in the city, according to the diagnosis of Parks and Gardens. He forecast is that “there continue to be more casualties & rdquor ;.
The municipal estate stresses the “great power of colonization” that characterizes the pest. “The only effective way to reduce its expansion capacity is the felling and immediate removal of the affected trees & rdquor ;, he postulates.
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The “temperatures high & rdquor; and the “scarce rainfall” they contribute not only to the spread of ‘Tomicus’ in the pine forests, but also “the arrival of new pests or the expansion of others present& rdquor; that are fattened with other typical species of the Mediterraneanwarns Parks and Gardens. The report maintains that the confluence of adverse environmental conditions and the onslaught of different pests is causing an “abnormally high & rdquor; of casualties of holm oaks and strawberry treesamong others.
The contract establishes that the tasks They will be concentrated for six consecutive weeks each year, with 30 days of effective work. It is required to be before summer or once it ends, to intervene when the alarm alert subsides. firewhile avoiding the breeding season of the fauna. It is estimated that 12 to 15 trees will be felled per day.