Bilbao (EFE) .- Some trees in the center of Bilbao exceed 170 years and have survived droughts, floods and urban actions, which is “exceptional.”
This is highlighted by researchers who study the vulnerability of urban trees in different cities in Spain.
The project researchers resist were surprised when their analysis began to reveal the centenary ages of some shadow bananas in the center of Bilbao.
The bananas of the Arenal reach 130 years and heights of 40 meters.
40 meters and 170 years
Those of the Park of Doña Casilda Iturrizar exceed 120 years, but in the Plaza de San Vicente and Gardines de Albia there are trees over 170 years.
The project resists analyzing the vulnerability of urban trees in the face of climate change and its impact intensified by urban environments.
In Bilbao, researchers at the Soria Campus of the University of Valladolid evaluated the growth and age of the main tree species.
They analyzed the shadow banana, the cedars, the chestnuts of the Indies and the cypresses.
Several of the identified trees far exceed 150 years, an exceptional age for urban specimens in the center of a city.
Valuable heritage
“This natural legacy represents a valuable heritage for Bilbao,” says Gabriel Sangüesa Barreda, professor and researcher at the Soria campus of the University of Valladolid.
-The oldest trees were planted in the early nineteenth century, within the framework of the remodeling of the parks,
They have managed to survive climatic catastrophes such as the floods of 1983 or the intense drought of 1989-1990, but also to important urban interventions, such as the construction of the sandy grade parking.
These trees are witnesses of the history of Bilbao, since the chemical composition of its wood reflects the rise and decline of the high furnaces.
“His information is very relevant to understand the transformation of the city,” says José Miguel Olano, Bilbaino, as well as a grape professor in Soria.
The shadow banana
The project studied the cities of Bilbao, Madrid, Soria, Córdoba, Jaén and Avilés to see the differences between large and medium cities.
The shadow banana was studied in all of them.
This species lives in urban environments and does not exist in nature, because it is a hybrid created by man between two species that live in fully remote places on the planet.
“It is very possible that in some historical gardens there are trees both or older than these, but the surprising thing in Bilbao is that they are in the urban center,” says Jaime Madrigal, a grape researcher at the Palencia campus.
This scientific project continues to obtain data and the final results are expected to obtain in the coming months.
Quantify and analyze the ages of urban trees is essential to properly assess this heritage and take it into account in future interventions. EFE
