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The drought and summer heat waves have weakened the trees in the city. Several solutions have been devised to limit the damage and preserve this vegetation as much as possible.
In the city, trees, micro-forests and groves represent important islands of coolness in the fight against the heat. However, the various summer heat waves have weakened them. “There is a 10 mm crack there, we can clearly see that it is due to the drought because in fact, the root system has drawn on the ground and the aerial part has been weakened”explains Pascal Gueguen, responsible for green spaces at Eu (Seine-Maritime).
Weakened trees can more easily become refuges for insects or fungi. Some, having become dangerous, must be shot down. Each cut tree is nevertheless replanted. Climate change weakens plants. In two years, in Lille (Nord), 18,000 trees have been planted. The bitumen of playgrounds has been replaced by porous cobblestones to better retain water, but also so that the trees do not suffer from the heat. “When it rains, 100% of the water seeps into the plot and fills the water tables or irrigates the trees”says Grégory Flament, deputy director of construction, maintenance and sustainable energy in Lille.