There are several palm trees that adorn the landscapes of Mexico City and give a tropical and fresh touch to the capital, however, the Ministry of the Environment (SEDEMA) reports that since 2011 there has been an increase in mortality records for these specimens.
Among the factors that have led to its deterioration are the effects of pests and diseases that have increased over time. SEDEMA explains that the cause of this problem is due to the fact that “its adequate habitat is between 10 and 500 meters above sea level and the capital is 2,400 meters above sea level. To this factor, we add the average age of 80 years they present.”
Likewise, thanks to studies that began in 2015 and concluded in 2019, specialists from the Postgraduate College of the Autonomous University of Chihuahua (UACh) detected the presence of six fungi and two bacteria, of the total “seven are located in the soil and one fungus on the leaves of affected palms”, a situation that causes their death.
For this reason, the Government of Mexico City has implemented the Mexico City Tree and Palm Sanitation Program, the objective is to rescue all trees that can still survive. It was announced that there will be an investment of 60 million pesos for the first stage, which also includes the sanitary pruning of 20,000 trees, 12,000 palms and the replacement of 5,000 trees.
Although several efforts are being made to stop the descent of palm trees, in some cases it has been necessary to choose to remove them and replace them with another species. Such was the case of the emblematic palm tree that adorns the Paseo de la Reforma and is located precisely in the Glorieta de la Palma.
This was announced by Claudia Sheinbaum, Head of Government, who shared: “This Sunday we will pay tribute to La Palma, which for more than 100 years was in Paseo de la Reforma. In its place we will consult citizens whether we plant a jacaranda, ceiba, ash, ahuehuete, grevilia or some other species; as well as the name of the gazebo”.
In addition, Carlos Fredy Ortiz García, coordinator of the PhD in Tropical Agricultural Sciences at the Tabasco Graduate School, stressed: “Considering the magnitude of the stem (wood of the tree without considering the bark), the lack of knowledge of the physical damage it has and given the magnitude, it is necessary to remove the palm to ensure the well-being of the citizenship”.
On the other hand, the head of the CDMX Environment Secretariat, Mariana Robles García, commented that the living being was the victim of a fungus that had already been tried to cure in the past, but despite attempts by experts to rescue it “the recommendation of specialists is to remove the copy from the Glorieta of la Palma and look for a replacement”.
This is just one of the many cases that have occurred in the capital, since in areas such as Avenida de Las Palmas 27 dried palms had to be removed. SEDEMA announced that in the same way “64 vines have been opened for the planting of 25 palms of the Phoenix canariensis species and Washingtonia robusta palms were placed, which are more resistant to fungi and bacteria”.
Another action being carried out is to place microorganisms on the leaves of plants that help fight fungi and bacteria that are possibly affecting them. However, it is important to emphasize that it was reported that the introduction of native species, suitable for each type of soil, is being prioritized, so that this type of circumstance can be avoided.
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