Rome to begin ‘selective felling’ of pines on Via dei Fori Imperiali.
Rome’s skyline of umbrella pines in the Colosseum area could soon disappear as the city moves to chop down the majestic trees for public safety reasons.
The dramatic move comes after three massive pines fell along the central Via dei Fori Imperiali in less than a month.
The first tree fell outside the tourist information point near the Colosseum on 4 January, the second near Piazza Venezia on 8 January, and the third near the Forum of Trajan on 1 February.
Miraculously nobody was killed. The first tree collapsed in the evening during bad weather and the second one fell before dawn. Three people suffered light injuries after being hit by the branches of the third tree that fell at lunchtime on Sunday.
Toppling pines
The succession of toppling pines prompted the city to close the grand thoroughfare which links the Colosseum with Piazza Venezia and is flanked by the Imperial Fora.
Faced with mounting criticism and calls for action, Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri gathered together a taskforce for extended talks on how to address the emergency situation.
The experts carried out a series of tests on the pines, including assessing the condition the soil and the trees’ roots, as well as discussing which trees face the chop and which can be saved.
Talks are also under way regarding the future planting of new pine trees, in compliance with the existing restrictions in the area, to replace the ones being cut down.
Exceptional situation
“Everyone is aware that we are facing an exceptional situation, with about 50 pine trees over 120 years old in and around the Imperial Fora” – the city’s environment councillor Sabrina Alfonsi said in a statement – “These trees have been meticulously cared for in recent years, have passed various tensile tests, and are apparently healthy, but their roots have suffered the stress of decades of human impact”.
The city also cited the effects of climate change on the health of the trees, as the weather alternates between prolonged drought and torrential rainfall.
In an update on Friday, the city announced that the initial results of the tests were mixed. In the case of positive results, authorities will seek to secure the pines by anchoring and consolidating the trees’ root ball.
There was bad news however for other trees – the exact number of which has not been specified – which failed to pass the tensile tests.
Selective felling
The city said that given the advanced age of these trees, further tests “may indicate the need for selective felling in the coming hours.”
In the meantime the city is aiming to partially reopen Via dei Fori Imperiali on 16 February but only to pedestrians and to allow work to resume on the various construction sites temporarily affected by the road closure.
These include the Metro C line, works to secure the Torre dei Conti which partially collapsed last November resulting in the death of a construction worker, and the Carme project which involves digging up the street as part of plans to redevelop the central archaeological area.
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