Hanoi to fell 146 old trees for safety reasons

Hanoi to fell 146 old trees for safety reasons

The Hanoi Department of Construction will chop down 146 age-old trees along two streets for safety reasons, a department official said on Friday.

>> Ho Chi Minh City to lop 116 trees to upgrade sidewalks near airport

The local People’s Committee has given the green light to the chopping plan which will be finished by February 15.

These trees, named xà cừ (Khaya senegalensis), line Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan District and Tran Phu Street in Ha Dong District, Tran Trong Hieu, an office chief from the department, said.

Xà cừ trees have been planted in Hanoi for nearly 100 years, according to news website VnExpress, which is based in the capital city.

Of the 146 trees, 123 are 14-20 meters tall with a diameter of over 50cm, Hieu added.

These large and tall trees are leaning toward an elevated railway line abuilding nearby, posing a threat to people and vehicles as they can fall at any time, the official explained.

The department already asked the People’s Committee for permission to lop all the trees to ensure safety for people and vehicles traveling on the two streets, and secured approval from it.

Before submitting to the authorities the plan for cutting down the trees, the department had considered trimming their branches or relocating them to other places, but none of them were feasible, Hieu revealed.

“Pollarding would not help eliminate the risk of the trees falling, while relocation would be very costly,” he explained.

The felling of the trees is scheduled to be complete before February 15, according to VnExpress.

After the plants are logged, competent agencies will manage the wood volume and put it up for auction, the newswire reported.

In related news, Ho Chi Minh City authorities said early this week that they had felled many of the 116 trees, also age-old, in areas near Tan Son Nhat International Airport to be chopped down as part of a project to upgrade sidewalks around the facility.

The cutting work was carried out outside of the Hoang Van Thu Park and along Phan Thuc Duyen and Truong Son Streets in Tan Binh District, according to the city’s Urban Traffic Management Zone No. 1, which was licensed to lop these trees.

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