The Porto Santo City Council announced today that over the next fifteen days it will begin felling more than a hundred palm trees, as a way of preventing the spread of palm scabies and the danger that some of these trees already pose to the population.
The local authority states that the municipality does not have its own resources to cut down large trees, so it had to go ahead with the contracting process, leading to delays in carrying out the service. “Around 120 palm trees will be cut down in various parts of the city because they are infected, and the local authority is willing to partially replace them with other trees, trying to ensure that the visual impact is not so significant,” it states.
The Council, led by Nuno Batista, also issues a warning to the population, taking into account the forecast of strong winds between today and Sunday. Caution is requested when driving near wooded areas, “particularly near palm trees without canopies or with a flattened appearance due to the collapse of the yellowed and dry central leaves, being aware of the possibility of these leaves, branches or trees and other debris falling onto the roadways”.
Furthermore, taking into account the weather forecasts, “some municipal public spaces, with greater pedestrian traffic, will be closed between the mentioned days, namely the City Pier, the Children’s Park and the Public Bathrooms. It also warns and recommends the entire population to adopt protective behaviors and measures for the risks that may arise from these forecasts”.